Hamas has submitted a new proposal that would involve releasing all remaining hostages at once in phase two, Hamas spokesman Hazem Qassem announced on Tuesday night.
Qassem stated that this could be made possible should Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
He added that Hamas doubled the number of hostages to be released at the request of mediators, claiming they had proven their commitment to honoring the ceasefire.
”Israel’s demand to remove Hamas from Gaza is laughable, a mere psychological tactic. The resistance will not leave, and disarmament is out of the question,” he said.
“Any future arrangements for Gaza will be decided through national consensus.”
Israel has not yet agreed to the second phase
On Monday, Israel’s security cabinet meeting ended with no vote or decision regarding the second phase of the hostage-ceasefire deal, granting no authority to the Israeli delegation in Cairo to hold talks on the issue.