Israel has accepted a US ceasefire proposal for Gaza that Israeli officials familiar with the matter said would involve a 60-day pause in the fighting and restore UN-led aid distribution to the enclave.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Thursday that Israel signed off on the proposal before it was submitted to Hamas but didn’t say what was in it. Two Israeli officials confirmed that decision.
Hamas, designated a terrorist organization by the US and many other countries, criticized the proposal as one-sided on Thursday but hasn’t officially responded to the latest offer.
The Israeli officials familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified discussing the issue, said other terms of the truce, proposed by Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff, include Hamas releasing 10 live hostages and returning the remains of 18 who died in captivity.
Israel has restarted some aid deliveries to Gaza after an 11-week blockade, while seeking to isolate Hamas from the population by cutting it out of the process. Restoring UN-led distribution would reverse a decision by the Israeli government to sideline the organization and install a privately run system.
Operations by a new nonprofit known as the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation have been dogged by reports of chaotic distribution efforts. GHF began distributing limited amounts of aid earlier this week and says it’s increasing deliveries.
The US proposal also includes engaging in negotiations during the truce toward a permanent end to the fighting, which started when Hamas attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting about 250.
More than 54,000 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the enclave’s Hamas-run health ministry, which doesn’t distinguish between between combatants and civilians. Israel has lost more than 400 soldiers in the fighting.
It’s unlikely that the proposal would meet the ultimate demands of either side. Hamas, which is committed to destroying Israel, has insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal and permanent end to the war. The Israeli government wants the group to disarm and disband.
Bassem Naim, a member of Hamas’s leadership, said in a Facebook post on Thursday that the plan is essentially an Israeli proposal that perpetuates the occupation of Gaza.
With assistance from Alisa Odenheimer.
This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.
Gaza ceasefire, US proposal, Hamas, Israeli officials, aid distribution
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