Eight weeks of total blockade
Hamas has signalled its willingness to back a framework that would allow the broad release of all hostages held in Gaza in exchange for the end of the war and a five-year truce with Israel, a senior Hamas official said on Saturday. The Islamist movement indicated it could agree to such an exchange, but it rejected the idea of disarming its fighters ahead of new talks with mediators scheduled for this weekend in Cairo, signalling cautious engagement rather than a blanket surrender.
A senior Hamas official told AFP that the group is prepared for a single, comprehensive prisoner exchange and for a five-year ceasefire. A delegation from Hamas is expected to meet the mediators in Cairo on Saturday. It remains unclear whether the proposal for a long-term ceasefire originated with Hamas or with the mediators, who are backed by Egypt and Qatar.
Hamas rejected in mid-April an Israeli plan that envisioned a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for the return of ten hostages alive, a proposal issued one day before Israel ended a ceasefire pact with the United States, Egypt and Qatar unilaterally. Since that time, Israeli forces have killed more than 2,000 Palestinians in Gaza and the siege of civilians has intensified. In the last 24 hours alone, health authorities in Gaza reported the deaths of 49 people as the humanitarian situation grew direr.
Since March 2, Israel has also barred humanitarian aid from entering the enclave. The United Nations World Food Programme warned this week that its reserves are exhausted and cannot sustain feeding the population without urgent deliveries. Aid continues to face obstacles at border crossings, and civilians in Gaza depend on intermittent convoys amid growing shortages of food, clean water, and medical supplies.
In a broader framework for a possible settlement, Hamas calls for the end of hostilities, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners, and the unhindered entry of humanitarian assistance into Gaza. Israel, for its part, demands the return of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza. The disarmament demand is regarded as a red line by the movement, complicating discussions as mediators seek a path toward a durable, comprehensive agreement.