Israel on Monday rejected a ceasefire proposal presented by Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, who brokered the deal to release Edan Alexander, in cooperation with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.
The Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen reported on Monday morning that, according to the deal, five live hostages will be released on the first day of a 70-day ceasefire during which Israel will withdraw to the military positions it held two months ago. The deal calls for the daily entry of 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks into all parts of Gaza and includes a clause stipulating that negotiations for a permanent end to the war will take place during the ceasefire. Another five live hostages would be released on the last day of the ceasefire.
Following the report, a senior Israeli official dismissed the proposal, saying that “such conditions are a surrender to Hamas and cannot be accepted by any responsible Israeli government.”
“It is inconceivable that Hamas would decide whether we receive another five hostages two months from now, while we are forced to negotiate how we receive the bodies of others during that period,” the official said. “No government in Israel would agree to this. This is a draft that does not reflect a genuine willingness to bridge the gaps.”
The official asserted that the conditions are “far removed from the framework initiated by Steve Witkoff, to which Israel is committed.”
Earlier on Monday, it was reported that US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a truce in Gaza in the next few days that will include the release of 10 live hostages and the remains of 16 hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, Arabic media outlets reported on Monday morning.
According to the reports, five of the live hostages would be released on the first day of the ceasefire and five on the 60th day of the ceasefire. Additionally, the remains of 16 hostages will be transferred according to a schedule that will allow Hamas to locate them.
It was also reported that Hamas demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested before or after the October 7 attack – a demand that Israel has not yet officially responded to.
On Sunday, Trump hinted at developments in ceasefire talks before boarding Air Force One.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
When Trump gave permission to remove all gazan civilians from Gaza,Natanyahu hesitated. He again dragged his feet instead of right away stopping all food shipments and allowing internet and media outlets into Gaza. The war could have been won by flattening every standing building and motivating gazans to move out. Trump is angry at Natanyahu from back then when he refused to kill a leading terrorist and wanted only America to do it which they did alone. Later Natanyahu took the credit and that got Trump very upset. Now the Hamas will rebuild as most tunnels have not been destroyed. With the foolish Israeli leftist leaders in the army and Supreme Court have made Israel look weak and evil in the eyes of millions of young college kids.The idea of Israel being a democracy that’s liberal with immoral values rather than a Jewish ideal state has come to an end. Trump does not want to pour billions of dollars into Arab countries trying to make the westernized in their values. He is impressed how Arab countries like Saudi’s Arabia,UAE and others have built Hugh skyscrapers and luxury life all the while maintaining their spiritual values. Israel he sees a society trying to imitate the leftist liberal values with no meaning. Had Israel maintained a true Torah state then Trump and many others would respect it. When shabbos is out the window and a whole generation of Israeli kids have no clue of Torah than the nations have no reason to look up to it.
The only deal that will work is one under which Hamas releases all living hostages and accounts for ones they murdered in captivity. If they do that, support for continuing the re-conquest of Gaza by Israel would end. That would leave open many questions but would end the war. Israel could trade an enforceable demilitarization of Gaza for letting aid in.
Hamas will reject that since without the hostages, they would have no way to prevent Israel but bombing Gaza back to the stone age the next Hamas attacks Israel.
HG – “Had Israel maintained a true Torah state…”
The very purpose of the Zionist “State” was – always and remains – to destroy Torah and to change Judaism into Zionism.