Hamas proposes week-long cease-fire, claims Israeli media

JERUSALEM

Hamas has proposed a week-long cease-fire during which it would provide a list of Israeli captives held in Gaza, Israeli media claimed Tuesday night.

The Israeli Broadcasting Authority Kan, citing unnamed foreign sources, claimed in its report that Hamas has proposed the cease-fire without imposing any conditions, such as releasing captives, withdrawing Israeli forces from Gaza, or permitting displaced Palestinians to return to the northern Gaza Strip.

According to the report, Hamas would provide the list of captives on the fourth day of the cease-fire, as requested by Israel, after which Israeli authorities would decide whether to extend the truce or resume hostilities.

Hamas has not yet commented on the broadcaster report.

The Palestinian resistance movement, which reportedly holds approximately 100 Israeli captives, has stated that it cannot compile a complete list while the war continues. Israel imprisons more than 10,300 Palestinians.

Hamas has repeatedly expressed its readiness to reach an agreement, even agreeing in May to a proposal by US President Joe Biden, which Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu later rejected by introducing new conditions, including the continuation of military operations.

Critics, including Israeli opposition members and captive families, accuse Netanyahu of stalling negotiations to maintain his position, as far-right ministers such as Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have threatened to withdraw their support for his government if the Gaza war ends.

The situation in Gaza remains dire, with nearly 2 million residents displaced from their homes under conditions of severe food, water, and medicine shortages.

Israel's blockade of Gaza, now in its 18th year, has turned the territory into what many describe as the world's largest open-air prison.

Israel also continues to face international scrutiny, with the International Criminal Court issuing arrest warrants last month for Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the ongoing Gaza offensive.

The Israeli army has continued a genocidal war on Gaza that has killed over 45,500 victims, mostly women and children, since a Hamas attack on Oct. 7, 2023, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.

In November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio