⚫ Lebanese Al-Akhbar published the full text of Hamas' response to the Paris proposal drawn up by Qatari and Egyptian mediators on a hostage/ceasefire deal. The 3-page long response outlines a 3-stage deal, guaranteed by Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, Russia, and the United Nations.
Stage 1 (45 days)
- The release of all women, children, the elderly, and sick hostages, in exchange for all female, children, elderly, and sick Palestinian security prisoners.
- Stopping all military activity, including air reconnaissance, and redeployment of IDF forces outside populated areas.
- Intensifying humanitarian aid entering Gaza (at least 500 trucks, including fuel)
Stage 2 (45 days)
- The release of all male hostages, in exchange for 1,500 Palestinian male security prisoners.
- A complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.
- The complete end of the siege on Gaza.
Stage 3 (45 days)
The exchange of bodies and remains between the two sides.
While no big surprises, some key takeaways:
- Hamas will name 500 prisoners serving life or long-term sentences to be released. This will likely challenge Israel's political/defense leaders.
- At the end of the first phase (45-day ceasefire), "a state of complete calm must be announced before implementing the second stage." Meaning, the war is to officially end after the first stage.
- Hamas calls the October 7 attacks "The Al-Aqsa Flood", but it buried the only reference to the holy site in the appendix, with a call to reverse the security arrangements in the Temple Mount in place since 2002.
- A demand for a complete end to the siege on Gaza. The only thing is the siege is a shared Israeli-Egyptian move from 2007.
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