The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has agreed to the latest ceasefire proposal submitted by international mediators, but the Israeli occupation has swiftly responded by undermining the deal with new demands and disruptive conditions, according to documents obtained by Al Jazeera.
Hamas had refrained from responding to Israel’s counter-proposal, informing mediators that Tel Aviv had effectively sabotaged the agreement Hamas had accepted just days earlier.
Details of the Mediators’ Proposal
According to a copy of the original mediator proposal dated March 27, Hamas had agreed to:
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- Release five Israeli soldiers over a 50-day period, including the dual-national soldier Aidan Alexander.
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In exchange, Israel would release 250 Palestinian prisoners, including:
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- 150 serving life sentences
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- 2,000 detainees from Gaza
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The proposal also included:
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- Returning to the pre-March 2 status, with border crossings reopened and implementation of a humanitarian protocol.
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- Both sides would provide a comprehensive list of detainees — alive and deceased — by Day 10 of the agreement.
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- Mediators committed to initiating permanent ceasefire talks during the 50-day window, including a complete Israeli withdrawal and post-war arrangements.
Israel’s Rejection and Disruptive Revisions
Instead of accepting the framework, Israel responded on March 28 with significant alterations, many of which directly contradicted the spirit of the original deal.
Key Israeli demands included:
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- The release of U.S.-Israeli soldier Aidan Alexander “as a goodwill gesture,” without any reciprocal concession.
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On Day 1, Hamas would have to release 10 Israeli soldiers in exchange for:
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- 120 Palestinians serving life sentences
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- 1,111 Palestinian detainees from Gaza
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- On Day 10, Hamas must release 16 bodies of deceased Israeli soldiers, in return for 160 bodies of Palestinian martyrs.
Moreover, Israel demanded:
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- Capping the agreement at 40 days, not 50.
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Introducing new negotiation terms from Day 2, including:
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- Demilitarisation of the Palestinian resistance
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- No commitment to withdraw or redeploy forces from Gaza
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- Restrictions on post-war planning
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- Implementing an aid mechanism that restricts humanitarian relief to civilians only, effectively bypassing the resistance.
Ongoing Genocide in Gaza
Since resuming its genocidal assault on Gaza on March 18, the Israeli occupation has killed more than 1,042 Palestinians, and injured at least 2,542 more, most of them women and children, according to the Ministry of Health in Gaza.
Backed by unwavering U.S. support, the occupation regime has continued its campaign of mass murder and destruction in Gaza since October 2023, resulting in:
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- Over 164,000 Palestinians killed or wounded
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- More than 11,000 still missing
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- Entire neighbourhoods flattened
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- A humanitarian crisis of unimaginable scale
Summary: A Deal Accepted, Then Derailed
While Hamas has demonstrated flexibility and commitment to a mediated ceasefire, Israel has moved to delay and derail the agreement, using its counter-proposal to impose preconditions that are politically and morally untenable—chief among them the disarmament of the resistance and denial of withdrawal from occupied Gaza.
