Hamas Open To Five-Year Truce And Release Of Hostages As Israeli Strikes Continue In Gaza

<p>Hamas said that it is open to an agreement to end the Gaza war that would include the one-time release of all the remaining hostages and also a five-year cessation of hostilities. According to news agency AFP, an official on condition of anonymity said, “Hamas is ready for an exchange of prisoners in a single batch and a truce for five years&rdquo;.</p>
<p>Earlier, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal that included a 45-day truce in exchange for the return of 10 living hostages. According to AFP, the group has consistently demanded that a truce agreement must lead to the end of the war, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a prisoner exchange, and the immediate and sufficient entry of humanitarian aid into the war-battered Palestinian territory.</p>
<p>Israel demands the return of all the hostages and the disarmament of Hamas and other armed groups in Gaza.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, the defence agency of Gaza said on Saturday that the Israeli strikes has killed at least 17 people across the territory, while more trapped under the rubble after a family home was hit. “Israeli air strikes in several areas killed 17 people since dawn,” civil defence official Mohammed Al-Mughayyir told AFP.</p>
<p>Israel resumed its military campaign in Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two-month truce that had largely halted the fighting.&nbsp;</p>
<p>A strike on the house of Al-Khour family in Gaza City’s Sabra neighbourhood killed 10 people, Mughayyir said, with witnesses reporting an estimated 20 victims trapped beneath the rubble, reports The daily star.</p>
<p>The spokesman for the civil defence agency, Mahmud Bassal, had earlier said that about 30 people were missing under the rubble.&nbsp;</p>
<p>There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military.</p>
<p>The Hamas attack in 2023 that triggered the war has resulted in the deaths of 1218 people, mostly civilians, reports AFP, quoting official Israeli figures.</p>