The Islamist movement Hamas announced on Monday, August 18, having accepted a new proposal from the mediators of Truce with Israel in the Gaza Strip, associated with a release of hostages selected in the Palestinian territory. Mediators’ efforts-Egypt, Qatar and United States-have so far failed to lead to a lasting ceasefire in the war that ravages the Gaza Strip. “Hamas has accepted the new mediators’ proposal. We ask God to turn off the fire of this war against our people ”Alewood Naïm on social networks said on social networks.
According to the civil defense of the Palestinian territory, 20 Palestinians were killed on Monday in the Israeli offensive, launched in response to an attack of unprecedented violence led by Hamas commandos against Israel on October 7, 2023. Of the 251 hostages kidnapped that day, 49 are still retained in Gaza, of which 27 are dead, according to the Israeli army.
In Cairo, the director of Egyptian intelligence services, Diaa Rashwan, told the state media Al-Qahera News that Egypt and Qatar had submitted their proposal to Israel. “The ball is now in the Israeli camp”he said. The Hebrew state has not yet commented on the truce proposal, but the Prime Minister, Benyamin Netanyahu, had warned last week that he would only accept an agreement “In which all hostages will be released all at once and according to our conditions to end the war”.
These announcements occur at a time when the Israeli army seeks to take control of the city of Gaza and neighboring refugee camps, with the displayed objective of destroying Hamas and freeing all hostages. Netanyahu said on Monday on Monday “Chatted with the Minister of Defense and the Chief of Staff of our plans concerning Gaza and the accomplishment of our missions”. “Hamas is under extreme pressure”he commented according to a press release, without explicit reference to the truce plan.
“More global agreement”
According to witnesses, Israeli bombings continued in the Zeitoun district, in the city of Gaza. A column of ten armored vehicles, with bulldozers, positioned itself next to a school in another district, Sabra, according to them.
The proposal accepted by Hamas resumes the main lines of a previous plan of the American emissary Steve Witkoff. According to a source in Palestinian Islamic jihad, an ally of Hamas, the plan provides for a truce of sixty days in exchange for the delivery of ten living hostages and bodies of captives. “The remaining hostages would be released during a second phase, with immediate negotiations to follow for a more global agreement” aimed at putting an end to war, with international guarantees. After Al-Qahera NewsThe plan also provides “Redeployment” Israeli troops, which control around 75 % of the Gaza Strip.
Two previous Truces, in November 2023 and early 2025, had enabled the return of hostages or bodies of captives in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners. Mr. Netanyahu is subject to strong pressures so much from public opinion, which fears for the fate of hostages, international with calls to end the sufferings of Gazaouis.
