Hamas presents a new three-phased proposal for a ceasefire and lifting of the blockade in Gaza amid ongoing negotiations mediated by Qatar and Egypt, as tensions escalate in the region.

Hamas presented mediators Qatar and Egypt with a new three-phased proposal that entailed a ceasefire and lifting of Israel’s blockade on Gaza, sources revealed to Al Jazeera and Al Araby TV on Sunday.

Under the reported proposal, each phase would last 42 days and a set of demands. 

During the first stage, Hamas seeks the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the dividing lines in Gaza and the return of internally displaced people to the north. The group also demanded a guarantee of freedom of movement in the entirety of the Gaza Strip in the same period.

Another update in the proposal included a demand for a complete ceasefire in the second phase before beginning the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners. 

Hamas proposed the release of one Israeli civilian in exchange for 30 Palestinian women and child prisoners. The group said it would also release one female soldier in exchange for the release of 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 who are serving life sentences.

Some of the prisoners included in Hamas’s proposal involve ones re-arrested by Israel after their release under the 2011 ‘Shalit deal’, during which Israel released 477 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.

In another update, Hamas demanded the lifting of punitive measures imposed on all Palestinian prisoners since October 7, 2023. Also in the second phase, Hamas demanded Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza.

The third stage then stipulated lifting the blockade on Gaza and beginning the reconstruction process.

Reports over the proposal came a day after Hamas officially confirmed that it submitted its response to an Israeli proposal to mediators Qatar and Egypt.

In its response on Saturday, Hamas stressed that it was “ready to agree to a serious deal” that would lead to the exchange of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners.

“We […] reaffirm our adherence to our demands and the national demands of our people; with a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupation army from the entire Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced to their areas and places of residence, intensification of the entry of relief and aid, and the start of reconstruction,” Hamas said in a statement shared on its Telegram channel.

The group’s remarks echoed its previous proposal from March 14, which it submitted following talks in Cairo.

The latest Israeli proposal did not stipulate the unconditional return of displaced Palestinians and did not guarantee the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Israel has also insisted on releasing only 100 Palestinian prisoners serving life sentences of its choice, without granting Hamas the ability to provide its own list.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been insisting on continuing the war on Gaza in an attempt to eliminate Hamas and return some 133 Israeli captives. The Israeli army believes at least 34 of the remaining captives are dead.

Notably, the captives were either killed by Israel’s non-stop attacks on Gaza or through famine as Israel has prevented the entry of basic resources into the area, such as water, food and medicine.

Meanwhile, Israeli reports pointed to Netanyahu’s decision to postpone the ground invasion of Rafah after his announcement last week that Israel set a date for the operation. 

More than one million displaced Palestinians have been sheltering Rafah, near the Egyptian border after Israel forced them to evacuate northern Gaza last October.

On October 12, 2023, Israel ordered the evacuation of 1.1 million people from the north to the south, which it said was a safer zone. More than six months on, Israel has advanced deeper into the south.

Those attempting to return are either shot at or arrested by occupation forces, despite their full right to free mobility. This was seen on Sunday when Israel targeted a large crowd of Palestinians who attempted to return to the north.

Since the start of the war, Israel has killed at least 33,729 people in Gaza and displaced more than 80 percent of the population. 

Those who survived the killings are enduring unbearable humanitarian conditions, including starvation and diseases caused by the war and Israel’s complete blockade on Gaza. 

As of Friday, at least 28 children died due to malnutrition and dehydration, according to the United Nations’ flash update.

Talks aimed at reaching a ceasefire have stalled since the expiration of a truce last year that lasted between November 24 and December 1. Mediated by Qatar and Egypt, the truce led to the release of at least 110 captives from Hamas in Gaza.

Then on April 1, Israel attacked the annex of Iran’s consulate in Damascus, which was met with a retaliatory attack on the occupying entity by the Islamic Republic on Saturday.

The development marked a major regional escalation amid fears of a full-scale war in the region.