Israel-Gaza conflict: Ceasefire plan back on table

The Palestinian armed group Hamas has stated its support for a proposal put forward by mediators to restore the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. The proposal suggests releasing five hostages to Israel in exchange for a 50-day truce.

Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas's top leader outside of Gaza, stated that the organization has approved the draft agreement sent by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office stated that it has also received the plan and, "in full coordination with the United States, submitted a counter-proposal to the mediators." If an agreement is reached, the new limited ceasefire could coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr, which begins on Sunday.

Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that he had consulted on the mediators' ceasefire proposal. The statement said Israel's counter-proposal had been agreed upon with the United States, but provided no further details. The United States has not publicly commented on the matter.

This comes after Israeli forces launched a ground operation in Rafah and continue to conduct airstrikes in the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire agreement that came into effect on January 19 ended earlier this month. The two sides failed to agree on starting the second phase of the agreement after the first phase concluded.

In the first phase, Hamas released 33 hostages. It is believed that the Iranian-backed organization still holds 59 hostages, though not all are believed to be alive. Hamas had previously insisted on adhering to the original agreement, which was to begin the second phase of negotiations, envisioning the release of all remaining hostages in exchange for a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and an end to the war. However, these negotiations never began.

Instead, Israel and the United States suggested extending the first phase of the ceasefire, which expired a month ago, without a clear guarantee that the war would end. Israel accused Hamas of refusing to extend the ceasefire and resumed military strikes on Gaza on March 18. The Hamas-run health ministry says Israeli airstrikes have killed more than 900 people in the region since then.

Meanwhile, relatives of the remaining hostages have accused Netanyahu of endangering the lives of the hostages by breaking the ceasefire agreement. One of the hostages, Elkana Bohbot, appeared in a new video released by Hamas, in which he pleaded for his release.

The war was triggered by Hamas's attack on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed about 1,200 people and took 251 people back to Gaza as captives. Israel responded with a massive military counterattack, which the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza says has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians.