“Israel” said on Thursday it was recalling its Gaza ceasefire negotiators from Doha for consultations following a response from Hamas to the latest proposal for a 60-day truce.

 

"In light of the response Hamas provided this morning, it has been decided to return the negotiating team to continue consultations in Israel. We appreciate the efforts of mediators Qatar and Egypt and the efforts of (US) envoy (Steve) Witkoff to bring about a breakthrough in the talks," read a statement from the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

 

According to Axios, Hamas demanded the freedom of 200 Palestinians currently serving life sentences in “Israeli” prisons in exchange for 10 living “Israeli” captives, along with 2,000 Palestinians detained in Gaza since October 7

 

This was met with strong rejection from “Israeli” officials, according to the report.

 

The proposed exchange ratio reportedly exceeds the original proposal, which involved the release of 125 Palestinians serving life sentences and an additional 1,200 Palestinians detained by the “Israeli” military in Gaza after October 7.

 

Senior “Israeli” officials conveyed their position to White House envoy Steve Witkoff, stating that Hamas's demands regarding the prisoners are "unacceptable."

 

However, the source familiar with the negotiations also noted that this substantial demand is likely Hamas's opening position in the negotiation, rather than a final stance.