Hamas Submits ‘Final Proposal’ to Cease-fire Mediators

March 7, 2024

by: Einav Halebi ~ Ynetnews

Thursday, 7 March 2024 | Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar’s deputy Khalil al-Hayya on Wednesday presented the terror group’s final proposal for a cease-fire to Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, according to a report out of Jordan.

The document proposes: a pause in the fighting one week before hostages are released; an agreement that Israel would withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip, with international guarantees that this would occur; and a demand that the cease-fire would be “the end of the aggression against Gaza” and not a humanitarian pause.

The Hamas response, reported in Rai-al-Youm, includes a demand that aid be delivered to all of the Gaza Strip. After the first week without fighting, the “exchange process” would begin, and Hamas does not object to those releases being made in stages, as long as there are international guarantees.

The document says Hamas firmly opposes sending released Palestinian prisoners out of the Palestinian territories.

Hamas demands the release of all 57 Palestinians who were released in the 2011 Shalit prisoner swap but arrested again later in addition to those exchanged for hostages. Hamas said it would not provide a full list of the prisoners name until 48 hours ahead of each exchange.

However, Hamas also provided the names of 160 prisoners that must be released in the first stage of the exchange. Among them are some serving long sentences for serious crimes.

On the list is Marwan Barghouti, a prominent member of Fatah serving multiple life sentences for his role in deadly terror attacks that resulted in the deaths of five Israelis, and a possible successor to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

Hamas is also demanding the release of Ahmed Saadat, the secretary-general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and the mastermind behind the assassination of then-Minister Rehavam Ze’evi in 2001; Abdullah Barghouti, a member of Hamas who was a senior commander in the terror faction’s military wing in the West Bank [Judea and Samaria] and who is serving an term of 67 life sentences; Ibrahim Hamed, who held the significant position of second-in-command within the terrorist organization in the West Bank; and Abbas al-Sayed, the second mastermind behind the devastating bombing at Netanya’s Park Hotel in 2002 that killed 30 civilians.

Hamas also demands the release of all women, children, infirm and elderly held by Israel.

Posted on March 7, 2024

Source: (Excerpt of an article originally published by Ynetnews on March 6, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

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