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 oregon prosecute with Israel's counter-proposal for a ceasefire successful Gaza, an authoritative told Reuters connected Wednesday, affirming it is committed to the mediators' program instead.

Israel said connected March 29 it conveyed to the mediators a counter-proposal successful afloat coordination with the U.S., aft Hamas agreed to a connection it received from mediators Egypt and Qatar.

A transcript obtained by Reuters connected Wednesday showed the mediators' connection was portion of the January 17 ceasefire statement and would widen the ceasefire for 50 much days.

The negotiations for a 2nd ceasefire signifier should beryllium implicit earlier the 50-day play ends, arsenic per the copy.

The connection included the merchandise of New Jersey autochthonal Edan Alexander, a 21-year-old worker successful the Israeli army, connected the archetypal time aft the ceasefire is announced.

Hamas would besides merchandise 4 Israeli hostages, with 1 hostage released each 10 days successful speech for releasing 250 Palestinians held successful Israeli jails and releasing 2,000 from those who were detained aft Hamas's October 7 onslaught connected Israel.

The connection besides entailed the cessation of Israeli subject operations, opening the crossings to let the introduction of humanitarian assistance and re-opening the Netzarim Corridor to let the introduction of cars from the southbound to the northbound and vice versa.

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

The archetypal signifier of the ceasefire betwixt Israel and Hamas went into unit connected January 19 aft 15 months of warfare and progressive a halt to fighting, the merchandise of immoderate of the Israeli hostages held by Hamas, and the freeing of immoderate Palestinian prisoners.

However, Israel said connected March 19 that its forces resumed crushed operations successful the cardinal and confederate Gaza Strip. It besides announced a large enlargement of subject operations successful Gaza connected Wednesday, saying ample areas of the enclave would beryllium seized and added to its information zones, accompanied by large-scale evacuations of the population.

Phase 2 of the three-phase woody is intended to absorption connected agreements connected the merchandise of the remaining hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas says immoderate proposals indispensable let the motorboat of the 2nd phase, portion Israel has offered to grow the archetypal 42-day phase.

More than 50,000 Palestinians person been killed by the Israeli violative successful Gaza, Palestinian officials say.

Israel began its violative aft thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities successful confederate Israel connected October 7, 2023, sidesplitting 1,200 radical and abducting 251 arsenic hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

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