Hope for peace as Israel studies Hamas proposal for 135-day ceasefire

Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan to halt the war in Gaza for four-and-a-half months, during which all hostages would go free, Israel would withdraw its troops from the Strip and an agreement would be reached on an end to the conflict.

The militant group's proposal - a response to an offer sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators - comes amid the biggest diplomatic push yet for an extended halt to the fighting, and was met with hope and relief in the Gaza Strip.

Israel said it was examining Hamas's response after key mediator Qatar said the Palestinian militants had given a "positive" reply to the proposed agreement.

"We have received a reply from Hamas with regards to the general framework of the agreement with regards to hostages," Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said after meeting U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment directly on the response but said on Tuesday: "We are on the way to the total victory and we will not stop. This position represents the overwhelming majority of the people."

According to a draft document, the Hamas counterproposal envisages three phases of a truce, lasting 45 days each. Militants would exchange remaining Israeli hostages they captured on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners. The reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged.

A source close to the negotiations said the Hamas counterproposal did not require a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire at the outset, but that an end to the war would have to be agreed during the truce before the final hostages were freed.

According to the document, during the first 45-day phase, all Israeli women hostages, males under 19 and the elderly and sick would be released, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli jails. Israel would also withdraw its troops from populated areas during the first phase.

Implementation of the second phase would not begin until the sides conclude "indirect talks over the requirements needed to end the mutual military operations and return to complete calm."

The second phase would include the release of remaining male hostages and "the withdrawal of Israeli forces outside the borders of all areas of the Gaza Strip."

Bodies and remains would be exchanged during the third phase. The truce would also increase the flow of food and other aid to Gaza's desperate civilians, who are facing hunger and dire shortages of basic supplies.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has told Washington it will not establish ties with Israel until a two-state solution is established. 

"The Kingdom has communicated its firm position to the US administration that there will be no diplomatic relations with Israel unless an independent Palestinian state is recognized on the 1967 borders with East Jerusalem as its capital," said the Gulf kingdom's foreign ministry. 

Israeli "aggression" in Gaza must also stop and all Israeli forces must withdraw from the besieged territory, the statement added. 

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Saudi Arabia, home to Islam's holiest sites, has never recognized Israel and did not join the 2020 US-brokered Abraham Accords that saw its Gulf neighbours Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, as well as Morocco, establish formal ties with Israel.

The war started with unprecedented Hamas attacks on Israel on October 7, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to Israeli tallies. Militants also seized around 250 hostages. Israel says 132 remain in Gaza, including 29 believed to have been killed.

Vowing to eliminate Hamas, Israel has launched air strikes and a land offensive that have killed at least 27,585 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run territory. The UN, rights groups and charities have deplored the "catastrophic" humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip.

Israel's campaign has devastated swathes of Gaza, destroyed hospitals and displaced half of its population of 2.4 million, while food, water, fuel and medicine are in dire shortage. 

Heavy strikes and fighting continued on Tuesday, with Gaza's health ministry saying at least 107 people were killed in 24 hours, including six policemen securing an aid truck.

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