Israel to discuss Hamas response to hostage exchange, cease-fire deal

JERUSALEM

Israel will assess on Wednesday Hamas's response to the proposed prisoner exchange deal and cease-fire, according to Israeli media.

Top Israeli political officials are meeting to discuss with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Hamas's response, Israeli Channel 13 said, without providing further details.

"We cannot accept the demand to end the war," Israeli news website YNET quoted unnamed Israeli officials as saying.

Israel also opposed releasing 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, including those serving life sentences, according to the website.

For his part, Netanyahu has given the green light for a cease-fire in Gaza, according to Israel's public broadcaster.

Netanyahu accepted the cease-fire, upon Qatari request, without prior notification to the War Cabinet of his decision, it added.

He agreed to the Qatari request during talks with Mossad Chief David Barnea during the Intelligence Chiefs Summit in Paris last month, it added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said it had delivered its response to Egypt and Qatar regarding the "framework agreement" for a proposed prisoner swap deal and cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday that Doha had received Hamas's response to the deal.

"The Hamas response contains notes but is generally positive," he added.

Hamas is believed to be holding around 136 Israelis.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, killing at least 27,585 Palestinians and injuring 66,978 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio