Israel proposes 2-month truce in exchange for freeing all the hostages: report

Israeli leaders have proposed a cease-fire of up to two months in exchange for the release of all the hostages in Gaza, officials said Monday.

After heated meetings over the Israel-Hamas conflict and hostage situation, the Jewish country’s war cabinet approved a new plan coordinated with Qatari and Egyptian negotiators that could see the more than 130 hostages held by Hamas released, two Israeli officials close to the talks told Axios.

The hostage deal would see all the women and men who are over 60 years old and who are in critical condition or have severe health problems released first.

The next phase would free the hostages who are not affiliated with the Israel Defense Forces.

After that, Hamas would release Israeli soldiers, as well as the bodies of hostages who died in captivity, the officials said.

In exchange for freeing the hostages, Israeli officials would agree to release Palestinian prisoners in its jails, with separate negotiations scheduled on who would be allowed to walk free.

In previous deals brokered by Qatar, Israel agreed to free three prisoners for every hostage released.

But major hurdles remain to seal the deal.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu speaks during the weekly cabinet meeting at the Defence Ministry in Tel Aviv, Israel on Jan. 7, 2024. REUTERS

Israeli leaders have proposed a cease-fire of up to two months in exchange for the release of all the hostages in Gaza. Debbie Hill/UPI/Shutterstock

The proposed plan emphasizes that the cease-fire would be only temporary, with the IDF set to be deployed away from the Gaza Strip’s largest cities so as to allow Palestinians to return to their homes.

Once the exchange is complete, the war will resume, the Israeli officials said.

Hamas has previously said the hostages would not be released until the war completely ends and the IDF exits the Palestinian enclave.

The proposal also rejects the possibility of releasing all Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the hostages, a condition Hamas leaders have said would be critical to accepting any deal.

The hostage deal would see all the women and men who are over 60 years old and who are in critical condition or have severe health problems released first. REUTERS

Israeli officials would agree to release Palestinian prisoners in its jails, with separate negotiations scheduled on who would be allowed to walk free. REUTERS

Relatives of Argentine-Israeli infant Kfir Bibas gather one day ahead of his first birthday in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Jan. 17, 2024 AP/Gustavo Garello

The proposed deal is designed to take up to two months for all the hostages to be released, a plan under which Israel and Hamas would be agreeing to the longest cease-fire in the war since the 10-day truce back in November.