US proposes 60-day ceasefire plan amid deadly Israeli strikes that killed 14 in Gaza

The US proposed a 60-day ceasefire plan for the Israel-Gaza conflict on Friday, that also proposes an exchange of hostages and prisoners on both sides, a Reuters report said. This proposal comes in the wake of as many as 14 Gazan deaths from Israeli airstrikes, as of Friday.

The proposal, which has received Israel's assent, is said to be guaranteed by US President Donald Trump—as well as mediators Egypt and Qatar. It also promises humanitarian aid packages to Gaza from the United Nations, the Red Crescent and other agreed channels, as soon as Hamas agrees to the ceasefire. 

This would also lead to the release of 28 Israeli hostages—alive and dead—in exchange for 1,236 Palestinian prisoners as well as the remains of 180 dead citizens. Arriving at a permanent ceasefire would also lead to the release of the remaining 30 Israeli hostages, as per the plan.  

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Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told families of hostages held in Gaza that Tel Aviv had accepted the proposal presented by Trump’s Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Israeli media reports.

Although Hamas commented that the US plan "fails to meet any of the just and legitimate demands of our people", such as an unconditional ceasefire and an end to the conflict as a whole, an official, Basem Naim, added that the Palestinian group would still be carrying out a "thorough and responsible review of the new proposal".

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Other similar ceasefire proposals have typically fallen through, owing to deep rifts between the two nations. Although both sides have called for an end to the war, Israel insists on the demilitarisation of Hamas and the release of all 58 hostages to do so, whereas the Palestinian group rejects this, urging Israel to pull out of Gaza first.

A combination of Israel's renewed offensive, titled 'Gideon Chariots', as well as its blockade on humanitarian aid to Gaza (which was slighly eased over the past few weeks), has killed more than  54,000 Palestinians, pushing Gaza's remaining population—of about 2 million—to the brink of a terrible famine.

Middle East