Palestine official: ‘Hamas agrees to new US proposal for Gaza ceasefire’

GAZA, May 26 (YPA) – A Palestinian official close to Hamas revealed on Monday that the movement has agreed to a new proposal that the U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff presented to stop a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as part of ongoing international efforts to end the 19-month-old aggression.

The official said, in a statement to the media outlets, that mediators had presented in recent days an updated initiative based on the Witkoff Plan, which is aimed at reaching an agreement including a temporary truce and a prisoner exchange between the two sides.

According to the source, the proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli prisoners held by Palestinian resistance factions in two batches, in exchange for a 70-day truce including a partial and gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.

The proposal also includes the release of a large number of Palestinian prisoners, including hundreds of those serving lengthy prison terms.

The official indicated that the next phase of the agreement would include indirect negotiations on a long-term truce, along with discussions on arrangements for governing the Gaza Strip through an independent community support committee, in a move aimed at avoiding an administrative vacuum and achieving temporary stability in the Strip.

AA