US offers 60-day Gaza ceasefire, Israel agrees

By
EDGARDO HERNAL
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A U.S. plan for Gaza, seen by Reuters proposes a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 28 Israeli hostages, alive and dead, in the first week, along with the release of 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.

The plan, which is backed by U.S. President Donald Trump and mediators Egypt and Qatar, also calls for sending aid to Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on the ceasefire agreement. According to the proposal, Hamas will release the last 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is reached.

The White House announced on Thursday that Israel has agreed to the U.S. ceasefire proposal. Meanwhile, Hamas told Reuters it is reviewing the plan and will respond on Friday or Saturday.

Deep divisions between Hamas and Israel have previously derailed efforts to establish a ceasefire since the last truce collapsed in March. Israel has demanded that Hamas disarm completely, dismantle its military and governing infrastructure, and return all 58 remaining hostages held in Gaza before agreeing to end the conflict. Hamas has rejected these conditions, instead calling for Israel to withdraw its troops from Gaza and commit to a permanent end to the war.

The conflict began with a Hamas attack in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli figures. The subsequent Israeli military campaign has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, Gaza health officials say, leaving the enclave in ruins.

Author profile

Edgaroo Hernal started college at UP Diliman and received his BA in Economics from San Sebastian College, Manila, and Masters in Information Systems Management from Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University in Oak Brook, IL. He has 25 years of copy editing and management experience at Thomson West, a subsidiary of Thomson Reuters.

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