TEHRAN – Hamas and other Palestinian resistance factions have announced their approval of a ceasefire proposal presented by mediators.

Senior Palestinian officials have told regional media that the proposal includes several key provisions. It stipulates a withdrawal by Israeli occupation forces to a depth of 1,000 meters in northern and eastern parts of the Gaza Strip, excluding the areas of Shujaiya and Beit Lahia in northern Gaza.

In exchange for the release of ten living Israeli captives, 140 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences and 60 others sentenced to more than 15 years would be freed. Additionally, 1,500 Palestinian detainees from the Gaza Strip would be released.

The proposal also includes adjustments to the redeployment maps in the north and east. Humanitarian aid would begin flowing into Gaza immediately once the agreement takes effect. The aid, delivered in large, coordinated shipments, would be provided under the framework of the January 19, 2025 agreement.

This humanitarian assistance package would include fuel, water, electricity, hospital and bakery rehabilitation, and debris removal equipment. The United Nations, its agencies, the Red Crescent, and other international organizations operating in Gaza would be responsible for receiving and distributing the aid.

The Rafah crossing in southern Gaza would be opened in both directions, in line with a previous agreement. Sources have also revealed that for every deceased Israeli captive returned, the bodies of ten Palestinians would be released. 

Furthermore, the proposal calls for the release of all Palestinian women and children held in Israeli prisons.

Separately, Reuters quoted an unnamed Egyptian official who said the latest ceasefire proposal includes a 60-day pause in military operations, along with a prisoner exchange that would see Palestinian detainees released in return for half of the Israeli captives.

Hebrew Channel 13 stated that Israel has officially received Hamas’s response from the mediators.

The Yedioth Ahronoth reported, “In the end, Netanyahu will have to explain to his ministers and the public why he is pursuing a partial agreement that is not much different from what was on the table less than a month ago.”

The report suggests that Netanyahu has been pursuing a ceasefire agreement, even as he plans to occupy Gaza City in the north. 

“There is no need for illusions. It was not the Israeli threat of seizing Gaza that changed Hamas’s stance. What exactly are we threatening with? Destroying buildings? Mass expulsion of residents who refuse to evacuate voluntarily? Soldiers forcibly moving the elderly, children, or pregnant women? Or simply more deaths?” Yedioth Ahronoth reported. 

Domestic pressure on Netanyahu’s government has intensified due to mass street protests, a growing number of Israeli army casualties caused by resistance movements, and the continued failure to retrieve captives from the Gaza Strip despite the prolonged genocidal war.

Internationally, the Israeli regime has become increasingly isolated, even among its traditional allies, as harrowing images of mass starvation continue to emerge from Gaza.

Yedioth Ahronoth asked: “What now? If Israel says ‘no’ to the deal – it will fall into the trap Hamas has set. If mere talk about controlling Gaza City already leads to growing calls for sanctions, then an actual military entry into Gaza will cause a much more severe collapse.”

The paper went on to say, "It should always be remembered: there is always room to sink lower. If entering Gaza, with all the scenes of atrocities, destruction, devastation, and deaths, is expected to drag Israel into collapse, then entering Gaza after Hamas says ‘yes’ to the Witkoff plan and Israel says ‘no’ will lead to an even greater collapse. Once again, it becomes clear that Hamas’s strategy is far more clever than that of Israel.”

The mediators who presented the proposal to Hamas are Egypt and Qatar, while the ceasefire framework was developed in coordination with the United States.