Hamas will not respond to Israel's counter Gaza ceasefire proposal, official says

By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jaidaa Taha

CAIRO (Reuters) - Hamas decided not to respond or engage with Israel's counter-proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, an official told Reuters on Wednesday, affirming it is committed to the mediators' plan instead.

Israel said on March 29 it conveyed to the mediators a counter-proposal in full coordination with the U.S., after Hamas agreed to a proposal it received from mediators Egypt and Qatar.

A copy obtained by Reuters on Wednesday showed the mediators' proposal was part of the January 17 ceasefire agreement and would extend the ceasefire for 50 more days.

The negotiations for a second ceasefire phase should be over before the 50-day period ends, as per the copy.

The proposal included the release of New Jersey native Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old soldier in the Israeli army, on the first day after the ceasefire is announced.

Hamas would also release four Israeli hostages, with one hostage released every 10 days in exchange for releasing 250 Palestinians held in Israeli jails and releasing 2,000 from those who were detained after Hamas's October 7 attack on Israel.

The proposal also entailed the cessation of Israeli military operations, opening the crossings to allow the entry of humanitarian aid and re-opening the Netzarim Corridor to allow the entry of cars from the south to the north and vice versa.

The Israeli military said on March 19 that its forces re-extended their control to the centre of the Netzarim Corridor, which bisects the Gaza Strip.

The first phase of the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas went into force on January 19 after 15 months of war and involved a halt to fighting, the release of some of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israel said on March 19 that its forces resumed ground operations in the central and southern Gaza Strip. It also announced a major expansion of military operations in Gaza on Wednesday, saying large areas of the enclave would be seized and added to its security zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

Phase two of the three-phase deal is intended to focus on agreements on the release of the remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas says any proposals must allow the launch of the second phase, while Israel has offered to expand the first 42-day phase.

More than 50,000 Palestinians have been killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian officials say.

Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

(Reporting by Nidal Al-Mughrabi and Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Stephen Coates)