The dismissal of the plan illustrates the wide disagreement between the two parties to the conflict on the deal, the report said on Wednesday, adding that it also reflects Hamas' growing confidence that diplomatic and domestic pressure on Israel to end the conflict in Gaza gives the Palestinian movement the upper hand in negotiations.
Media reported earlier on Wednesday that the latest ceasefire proposal for Gaza, made at talks in Cairo over the weekend, provides for the release of 40 Israeli hostages in exchange for 900 Palestinian prisoners as a part of a three-stage plan adopted by international mediators. Each stage of the plan was expected to stretch for 42 days, with the first involving the return of the displaced people to northern Gaza, which would be supported by the UN temporary housing efforts and 500 aid trucks delivering supplies daily.
However, CNN reported on Wednesday, citing an Israeli official and a source familiar with the discussions, that Hamas had told international mediators — which include Qatar and Egypt — that it was unable to identify and track down 40 Israeli hostages needed for the first phase of a ceasefire deal.
The report cited sources as saying that Hamas' inability or unwillingness to tell Israel which hostages would be released, alive, is a major obstacle, adding that Israel has pushed for Hamas to fill out the initial release with younger male hostages, including soldiers, since the movement appears to be unable to reach 40 in the proposed categories.
On Tuesday, US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said that Hamas had not yet responded to the offer hammered out during the negotiations in Cairo.
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 33,300 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.