Hamas has proposed a deal to exchange all hostages for a set number of Palestinians jailed by Israel, rejecting an interim truce and calling for broader negotiations to end the war in Gaza.
In a televised speech on April 17, Khalil Al-Hayya, Hamas' Gaza chief, offered to negotiate an immediate deal with Israel to swap hostages for an agreed number of Palestinians held in Israeli prisons. Al-Hayya, who leads the Hamas team in indirect talks with Israel, emphasized the group's rejection of any partial agreements, stating that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government uses such deals to further a political agenda aimed at continuing the war.
Efforts by Egyptian mediators to revive the ceasefire from January have so far yielded little progress, with both sides blaming each other for the deadlock. The most recent round of talks, held in Cairo on April 14, ended without significant results. Hamas has agreed to a proposal by Qatar and Egypt to release some hostages in exchange for Palestinians incarcerated by Israel, with hopes to move forward on a second phase of the ceasefire that includes ending the war and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
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Russia-USA
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