Hamas proposes a ceasefire plan that would see a four-and-a-half-month truce during which hostages are released in three stages, which would lead to an end to the war, in response to the proposed outlines sent last week. With Qatari and Egyptian mediation and supported by the United States and Israel.

A source close to the negotiations told Reuters that Hamas's counterproposal does not initially require a guarantee of a permanent ceasefire but there must be an agreement on ending the war during the truce before the last hostages are released.

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, Hamas's counterproposal includes three phases, each lasting 45 days.

The full proposal stipulates that Hamas will release the remaining Israeli hostages abducted on October 7, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel, starting the process of rebuilding Gaza, a full withdrawal of Israeli forces, and also an exchange of bodies and remains.

According to Hamas's counterproposal, hostages who are women, men under 19 years old, the elderly and the sick will be released during the first 45-day phase in exchange for releasing Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. The proposal does not clearly state whether female recruits will be included in the first phase.

The second phase will not start until both sides conclude "indirect talks about the requirements needed to end the mutual military operations and return to complete calm."

At this point, the remaining male hostages will be released, and remains will be exchanged in the third phase.

By the end of the third phase, Hamas expects the parties to reach an agreement on ending the war.

The movement, which governs Gaza, said in an annex to the proposal that it seeks the release of 1,500 prisoners from Israeli prisons, a third of whom it wants to select from a list of Palestinians serving life sentences.

The truce would also increase the flow of food and other humanitarian aid to Gaza, at a rate of no less than 500 trucks daily.

The Lebanese newspaper Al-Akhbar, believed to have ties with Hezbollah, said it obtained Hamas's counterproposal, which apparently includes a much more detailed annex about the first phase of the proposal.

According to Al-Akhbar’s report, the first phase will see the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas, and the United Nations will be allowed to set up tent camps. This phase will also witness the cessation of all forms of aerial activity including reconnaissance throughout the period.

The report also stated that prisoners to be released from Israeli prisons should be Arabs of Israel.

The report additionally said that within the framework of Hamas, Gaza residents will be granted freedom of movement, including patients and wounded through Rafah to Egypt; heavy equipment will enter the sector to clear debris; Ministry of Health and Civil Defense equipment will be replaced; hospitals will be rebuilt. Tent cities will be established to house the population; at least 60,000 temporary homes will be provided along with 200,000 tents at a rate of 50,000 weekly; rebuilding of water, electricity, and communication networks will begin; a plan will be set for reconstructing homes, economic institutions, and public facilities so that it does not take more than three years; fuel supplies to Gaza will resume to restore power plants; Israel commits to supplying electricity and water. There will be indirect talks for continuing the ceasefire; resumption of humanitarian services provided by international organizations including the United Nations, especially UNRWA.

The inclusion of UNRWA specifically is important, as Israel said it would not allow the Palestinian refugee agency to operate in the sector at the war’s end, after claiming that 12 of the agency's staff participated in the October 7 attacks led by Hamas, and Israel has long said that UNRWA deliberately or under threat provides cover for Hamas terrorists.

Al-Akhbar also reported that Hamas mentioned that the status of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound must return to its situation prior to 2002. It is unclear what event is referred to in that year.

Notably, the framework includes Russia and Turkey as guarantors, along with Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

It is believed that 132 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 remain in Gaza – not all alive – after the release of 105 civilians from Hamas captivity during a week-long truce in late November. Four hostages were released earlier, one was rescued by forces. The bodies of eight hostages were recovered and three hostages were accidentally killed by the army. Another person has been listed as missing since October 7, and their fate remains unknown.

Hamas also holds the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, since 2014, in addition to two Israeli civilians, Avera Mengistu and Hisham al-Sayed, believed to be alive after entering the sector voluntarily in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

Hamas’s framework includes a permanent ceasefire eventually, which is unacceptable to Israel, which has pledged to destroy the movement.

Unnamed Israeli officials told the news website “Walla” on Wednesday that “we cannot accept the demand to end the war,” highlighting “the demand to release 1,500 Palestinian prisoners, including dangerous terrorists.”

However, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Doha is "optimistic" after receiving a "positive response" from the group, while US President Joe Biden said Hamas's response was “a little exaggerated,” noting that negotiations are ongoing.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said the Israeli Mossad received Hamas’s response through Qatari mediators and is reviewing the proposal.

Hamas took more than a week to respond to the framework proposal, which was drafted in Paris on January 28 by Israeli, American, Qatari, and Egyptian officials, and was conveyed to Hamas by Qatar. The original framework was not officially published, but it is believed to call for a long ceasefire in exchange for a phased release of the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas in Gaza and the release of a large number of Palestinian security prisoners by Israel.

Israel reportedly agreed to the proposal on January 29, but it is just an intended negotiation outline. The two sides still have to agree on thorny issues, including the duration of the truce and the number of security prisoners Israel must release.

This could risk toppling Netanyahu’s coalition, as right-wing elements oppose releasing large numbers of Palestinian terrorists, even as pressure grows from hostage families and broad public sectors on the government to reach a deal to save the hostages before it is too late.

The Israeli army confirmed on Monday that at least 31 of the hostages held in Gaza are no longer alive. The New York Times said 20 others are feared to have died. The Israeli army has not confirmed this.

Hamas’s response came while US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was in the midst of his fifth diplomatic tour in the Middle East since the war broke out, caused by Hamas’s terrorist attack that killed about 1,200 Israelis and resulted in 253 people taken hostage, of whom 132 remain in captivity in Gaza.

Israel then launched a counterattack aimed at dismantling Hamas and returning the hostages. More than 27,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, according to the Hamas-run Ministry of Health. These numbers cannot be independently verified. Israel says it has killed 10,000 Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as 1,000 terrorists in Israel on October 7. Additionally, 227 soldiers have been killed in Gaza.