Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said the terrorist group would not accept the latest Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more than 30 hostages but says it is willing to continue negotiations.
"We made it clear that our position on the current negotiating paper is negative," the Hamas spokesman said in an interview with Hezbollah-affiliated Al-Manar TV on Wednesday night.
Despite this rejection, Hamdan stressed that the refusal does not mean the end of negotiations. However, he warned that Hamas could halt the talks if Israel proceeds with its announced operation in Rafah to dismantle the terrorist group's remaining battalions.
The Israeli proposal reportedly envisaged a cessation of hostilities in Gaza for a period of 40 days. During this time, it envisaged a gradual withdrawal of Israeli troops from some regions of the Gaza Strip to facilitate humanitarian access and allow civilians to return to their homes.
The proposal included the suspension of Israeli aerial surveillance for eight to 10 hours a day during the days when the hostages would be released. In addition, for each hostage released, Israel would have to release 20 Palestinian prisoners, provided they were not serving a sentence of more than 10 years.
In return, Israel initially demanded the release of at least 40 hostages. However, it later decided to reduce this number to 33 after obtaining information that some of the proposed hostages were already dead.
Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, also reported that his intention to enter Rafah would stand even if an agreement with Hamas were reached.
"The idea that we will stop the war before achieving all its aims is not an option. We will enter Rafah and we will eliminate the Hamas battalions there — whether or not there is a deal — in order to achieve total victory," he said. This position was endorsed by civilian organizations representing the families of hostages held by Hamas, as reported by Netanyahu's cabinet.
In this context, Hamas is expected to amend the latest proposal in the coming hours to continue negotiations.
