Only 20 abductees for 6 weeks of respite Hamas's response – and the new demands

Hamas's response to the mediators' proposal included a willingness to release only about 20 abductees in exchange for a six-week ceasefire – about half the number of abductees originally included in the plan, an Israeli senior official said.

The Israeli official pointed out that Hamas is using the answer he gave to the mediators with "ridiculous excuses" to explain the reduction in the number of abductees he is willing to release in the first phase of the deal. For example, Hamas claims that some of the abductees included in this part of the deal – women, men over 50 and men in serious medical condition – are not alive or are not in its hands.

Also, Hamas demands higher "keys" – meaning the release of more Palestinian prisoners for each Israeli abductee and has increased its demand regarding the number of world prisoners to be released. The Israeli official noted that in his answer to the mediators, Hamas divides the agreement into several phases and binds them together. "Hamas conditions the implementation of phase one by providing international guarantees to end the war already in phase two of the deal," said the Israeli official.

According to him, Hamas also demands the withdrawal of IDF forces from large areas in the Gaza Strip already in phase one, allowing the full return of Palestinians to the north of the Gaza Strip and full freedom of movement in the entire strip starting from phase one of the deal.

"The answer that Hamas gave was with far-fetched elements. There is not even one clause that Hamas approves or accepts the position of the mediators. Hamas took the entire proposal and changed it from the ground up and doubled and tripled the demands. The conclusion is that Hamas drags its feet, is not interested in a settlement and a ceasefire and continues to hope for the unification of the arenas and escalation ", said the Israeli official.