CNN reported that the Israeli government has made a new offer to Hamas stipulating a week-long cessation of hostilities in the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of 35 Israeli detainees in the Strip.
The network quoted an unnamed US official as saying: “Israel has made a new offer to Hamas to conclude a truce for a week, during which 35 new Israeli hostages will be released, including the remaining women, the elderly, the wounded and the sick.”
The official avoided answering a question about whether Hamas leader in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinwar, had responded to the new Israeli proposal, noting that he might be in the tunnel network beneath Khan Yunis.
Taher al-Nono, media advisor to the head of Hamas’ political bureau, denied earlier reports that the group was negotiating a new deal with Israel to free hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
“Israel wants to deceive its citizens, our priority is to stop the aggression against the Palestinian people, only then can we talk about a deal,” Nono said in a televised interview.