New hostage release proposal includes Sinwar and thousands of militants

The Israeli Media Haaretz revealed that the government official responsible for returning the hostages, Gal Hirsch, presented a new proposal to the United States regarding the deal with Hamas, according to which all hostages held in Gaza would be released in exchange for ending the war and granting safe passage to the head of Hamas’s political bureau, Yahya Sinwar.

The Media said that the proposal also stipulates that members of Sinwar’s family and thousands of Hamas members of his choosing leave for a third country.

The Media added that once Hamas leaders leave Gaza, an agreed-upon mechanism will begin to rebuild the Strip.

The Media pointed out that Hirsch presented the proposal with the knowledge of the Israeli political leadership, after the difficulties facing progress in the current ceasefire talks, noting that Israel will officially adopt the plan if Hamas shows its willingness to move forward with it.

The Media quoted informed sources on the initiative as saying that this step aims to “break” the deadlock in the current negotiations, which has hindered efforts to reach a ceasefire and rebuild Gaza.

With the departure of the Hamas leadership, a series of countries that are currently hesitant to declare their willingness to participate in the reconstruction of the Strip are expected to become involved, according to the Media.

The Media also reported that Hersh presented the new proposal during his visit to the United States last week, where he met with his American counterpart and senior officials from the White House and the US State Department.

In turn, the Israeli public broadcaster “Kan” reported that the proposal would also call for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a new system of government in Gaza, although no details were provided.

The Times of Israel reported that “an Israeli official confirmed that hostage envoy Gal Hirsch “presented the plan to the Americans, who were expected to pass it on to unspecified Arab officials.”

Since Israel announced on September 1 that Hamas, which Washington classifies as a terrorist organization, had killed six hostages, including an American citizen, which derailed the negotiations, Washington has redoubled its efforts to reach an agreement, but to no avail.

Formal negotiations remain stalled as Israel and Hamas trade accusations of not wanting to reach an agreement.

According to an American source, the two main points of contention remain the Philadelphia Corridor, located on the border between Gaza and Egypt, which Israel wants to control, in addition to details related to the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel after new demands made by Hamas.

Time is running out for Washington as the US presidential election approaches on November 5 and President Joe Biden’s term ends early next year. The US administration fears that the risk of the war expanding increases with each additional day that passes.

The war broke out on October 7, with Hamas launching an offensive that has killed 1,205 people on the Israeli side, most of them civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. The figure includes hostages who died while being held in the Gaza Strip.

During the attack, 251 people were kidnapped, 97 of whom are still being held, including 33 who the army says were killed.

Israel responded with a bombing campaign and ground assault on Gaza, killing at least 41,272 people, according to the Hamas-run health ministry. The United Nations says most of the dead were women and children.