Proposal to swap Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners sent to Hamas after Paris talks

A proposal to swap Israeli hostages held in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners has been sent to Hamas, according to reports.

Israeli army vehicles return from the southern Gaza strip. Pic: Reuters

It follows several days of multinational talks in Paris involving representatives from Israel, the United States, Egypt, and Qatar which have tried to map out the basic contours of a deal for a temporary ceasefire.

The proposal states that all Israeli women, children under 19, elderly and sick hostages should be released in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners, a senior source has told the Reuters news agency.

The proposal includes a commitment to allow the entry of 500 aid trucks daily into Gaza and the provision of thousands of tents and caravans.

It follows comments by US President Joe Biden, who said on Monday, he hoped a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could be secured “by the end of the weekend”.

Mr Biden made the remarks during an unannounced visit to the Van Leeuwen ice cream parlour, next door to 30 Rock in New York.

Flanked by late night TV show host Seth Meyers, Mr Biden was asked by reporters when he thought a ceasefire in Gaza could start.

In a surprise turn, he said “my national security adviser (Jake Sullivan) tells me that we’re close, we’re close, we’re not done yet”.

Appearing on Meyers’ show, Late Night With Seth Meyers, Mr Biden said “Ramadan is coming up, and there’s been an agreement by the Israelis that they would not engage in activities during Ramadan, as well, in order to give us time to get all the hostages out.”

The Muslim holy month, which falls on different dates every year, is set to start on 10 or 11 March and end around 9 April, Muslim Aid said on its website.

The talks in the French capital have been hosted by Qatar, with mediators meeting delegations from both sides separately.

The aim was to secure a six-week pause in fighting.

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Israel and Hamas have been at war in Gaza since gunmen from the Palestinian militant group that runs the enclave attacked southern Israel on 7 October, killing 1,200 people and taking 253 hostages.

Israel responded with a military campaign in which almost 30,000 Palestinians have been confirmed killed, according to medical officials in Gaza.

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