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Weapon, Israeli army tank on the border with the Gaza Strip

Photo: Abir Sultan / EPA

Hamas is said to have proposed a ceasefire that would last four and a half months. This is reported by the Reuters news agency, citing a document with Hamas' offer. The terrorist group writes that all hostages could be released during this time, provided Israel withdraws its troops from the Gaza Strip and an agreement is reached to end the war.

The militant group's proposal is a response to an offer made last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and endorsed by Israel and the United States. It came during the biggest diplomatic push yet for a prolonged cessation of fighting.

Israel's Channel 13 television quoted a senior Israeli official as saying some of the demands put forward by Hamas were unacceptable to Israel. Israel has already said it will not withdraw its troops from Gaza until Hamas is wiped out. The report quoted the anonymous official as saying Israeli authorities were debating whether to reject Hamas's proposals outright or demand alternative terms.

US Secretary of State discussed proposal with Netanyahu

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel overnight. The day before, he had met with the negotiators from Qatar and Egypt. Blinken met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday to discuss the proposal.

A source close to the negotiations told Reuters that Hamas's counter-proposal does not call for a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire at the start, but that an end to the war must be agreed during the ceasefire before the last hostages are released.

A second source said Hamas still wants guarantees from Qatar, Egypt and other friendly states that the ceasefire will be honored and will not collapse once the hostages are free.

Hamas member: Secure a complete and lasting ceasefire

Ezzat El-Reshiq, a Hamas member, confirmed to Reuters that the offer was passed on to Israel and the United States via Egypt and Qatar. "We wanted to approach it in a positive way, to stop the aggression against our Palestinian people and secure a complete and lasting ceasefire, as well as provide aid, support, shelter and reconstruction," he said.

According to the document, all Israeli female hostages, men under 19, and the elderly and sick will be released in the first 45-day phase. In return, Palestinian women and children would have to be released from Israeli prisons. Israel would withdraw its troops from populated areas.

Implementation of the second phase would only begin once the sides have completed "indirect discussions on the conditions for ending mutual military operations and returning to complete calm." The second phase would involve the release of the remaining male hostages and Israel's complete withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip. In the third phase, the bodies and remains would be exchanged.

Washington wants reconciliation between Israel and Arab neighbors

Washington has portrayed the hostage and ceasefire agreement as part of plans for a broader solution to the Middle East conflict. It should ultimately lead to reconciliation between Israel and its Arab neighbors and the establishment of a Palestinian state.

US Secretary of State Blinken said on Tuesday: "We will work as hard as possible to reach an agreement so that we can achieve not just a renewed, but an expanded agreement on the hostages and all the benefits that come with it." Israel's Prime Minister Netanyahu has has so far rejected the creation of a Palestinian state.

The diplomatic push comes amid intense fighting in the Gaza Strip. Israel is trying to take the most important city in the south of the enclave, Khan Yunis, and fighting is also breaking out again in the northern areas that Israel claimed to have conquered months ago.

Last week Israel declared that it planned to storm Rafah. International aid organizations were alarmed. An attack on the last refuge on the edge of Gaza would spell a humanitarian catastrophe for more than a million displaced people.

aka/Reuters