What are the details of US envoy Witkoff's plan to extend the truce in Gaza?

The American website Axios revealed details of US envoy Steve Witkoff's plan to extend the ceasefire in Gaza for additional weeks in exchange for the release of a number of living prisoners and the bodies of dead ones.

Axios quoted an informed source as saying that mediators met with Hamas officials in Doha on Wednesday evening and presented them with Witkoff's updated proposal, which includes extending the ceasefire until the 20th of next month in exchange for the release of at least five living prisoners and the remains of approximately nine deceased prisoners on the first day of the extended ceasefire.

According to the updated proposal, Israel and Hamas will use the extended ceasefire to negotiate a long-term truce in Gaza. If such a truce is reached, the remaining prisoners will be released on the final day of the extended ceasefire before the long-term truce.

According to the website, Witkoff's proposal includes the entry of food aid into the Gaza Strip during the extended ceasefire period.

Axios also quoted an informed source as saying that Israel responded positively to Witkoff's proposal, and that Qatari and Egyptian mediators met with Hamas officials in Doha on Wednesday evening and presented them with the updated proposal, and that they are awaiting their response.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said that Israel will not agree to anything less than the complete demilitarization of the Gaza Strip and the end of Hamas's rule in the territory.

He added, at a press conference in the Greek capital, Athens, that Israel had agreed to Witkoff's proposal to extend the ceasefire on the condition that the prisoners be released, but Hamas had rejected it.

Hamas and Islamic Jihad meeting
Hamas and Islamic Jihad discussed on Thursday the implementation of the signed ceasefire agreement, repeated Israeli violations, and developments regarding the resumption of negotiations with Israel.

This came during a meeting held in the Qatari capital, Doha, between Hamas Leadership Council Chairman Mohammed Darwish, Islamic Jihad Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhala, and his deputy, Mohammed al-Hindi, according to a statement issued by Hamas.

The statement said that during the meeting, the two sides discussed "the progress of implementing the ceasefire agreement, the occupation's repeated violations, and the meetings held over the past two days to resume negotiations."

The two delegations stressed "the necessity of full commitment to the ceasefire terms and its various phases, especially the withdrawal from the Philadelphi corridor (on Gaza's border with Egypt), the opening of the crossings, the implementation of the humanitarian protocol, the entry of all Gaza Strip's needs, and the commencement of the implementation of the second phase of the agreement without restrictions or conditions."

They also stressed "the resistance's commitment to continuing faithful implementation of the ceasefire agreement it signed and its full readiness to complete this implementation."

The two delegations condemned the crimes committed by the occupation forces in Jerusalem and the occupied West Bank, as well as the destruction of refugee camps in Jenin, Nour Shams, and other areas and cities in the West Bank. They also condemned the prevention of worshippers from praying at the Ibrahimi Mosque, which they consider a serious violation and an assault on Islamic endowments and religious sites.

Witkov arrived in Doha on Tuesday evening and held meetings with Qatari and Egyptian mediators, as well as with Israeli negotiators present in the Qatari capital.

The foreign ministers of Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization's Executive Committee held a meeting in Doha yesterday, Wednesday, with Witkov to discuss developments in the Gaza Strip and present a plan for the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.

Source: Agencies + Axios US