US President Donald Trump is expected to announce a truce in Gaza in the next few days that will include the release of 10 live hostages and the remains of 16 hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire, Arabic media outlets reported on Monday morning.
According to the reports, five of the live hostages would be released on the first day of the ceasefire and five on the 60th day of the ceasefire. Additionally, the remains of 16 hostages will be transferred according to a schedule that will allow Hamas to locate them.
It was also reported that Hamas demanded the release of all Palestinian prisoners from the Gaza Strip who were arrested before or after the October 7 attack – a demand that Israel has not yet officially responded to.
Later on Monday morning, the Lebanese channel Al-Mayadeen reported that the ceasefire proposal was presented by Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, who brokered the deal to release Edan Alexander, in cooperation with Trump envoy Steve Witkoff.
The report says that 10 live hostages will be released in two phases during a 70-day ceasefire during which Israel will withdraw to the military positions it held two months ago. The deal calls for the daily entry of 1,000 humanitarian aid trucks into Gaza and includes a clause stipulating that negotiations for a permanent end to the war will take place during the ceasefire.
Following the report, a senior Israeli official dismissed the proposal, saying that “such conditions are a surrender to Hamas and cannot be accepted by any responsible Israeli government.”
“It is inconceivable that Hamas would decide whether we receive another five hostages two months from now, while we are forced to negotiate how we receive the bodies of others during that period,” the official said. “No government in Israel would agree to this. This is a draft that does not reflect a genuine willingness to bridge the gaps.”
The official asserted that the conditions are “far removed from the framework initiated by Steve Witkoff, to which Israel is committed.”
On Sunday, Trump hinted at developments in ceasefire talks before boarding Air Force One.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
