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The Israeli government has rejected the latest proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in the Gaza Strip, local media reported on Monday.
“The proposal received by Israel cannot be accepted by any responsible government,’’ the Times of Israel quoted an unnamed senior official as saying, who didn’t give any further details.
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According to the ynet news website, the proposal was made by a Palestinian-American businessman who has reportedly been involved in direct negotiations with the Palestinian extremist group Hamas for some time.
According to Hezbollah-affiliated Arab broadcaster Al-Mayadeen, the proposal involves a 70-day ceasefire to allow both sides to conduct negotiations on an end to the war. Hamas is to release five living hostages and the bodies of a further five from Gaza as part of the proposal.
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The draft is far removed from the proposal drawn up by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff, ynet quoted an Israeli official as saying.
Mr Witkoff’s recently submitted draft provides for the release of 10 living hostages in exchange for 45 to 60 days of ceasefire.
According to Israeli sources, at least 20 hostages are still being held alive in the Gaza Strip, with the fate of three further abductees unclear.
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In addition, the Islamists are still holding the bodies of 35 hostages abducted from Israel during the attacks it launched on 7 October 2023.
19 killed in Gaza
No fewer than 19 people were killed in an Israeli attack in northern Gaza, local media reported on Monday.
Many others were injured when Israeli fighter jets shelled a house in Jabalia, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported.
Minors are said to be among the dead.
The Israeli military said it was investigating the report.
In a separate statement posted on Telegram, the military said “operational activity against terrorist organisations’’ continues across the Gaza Strip.
Over the past 48 hours, the air force struck more than 200 targets across the war-torn coastal enclave, it said.
READ ALSO: ICC prosecutor opposes Israel’s bid to block arrest of Netanyahu
This included “terrorists, weapon storage facilities, sniper and anti-tank missile posts, tunnel shafts, and additional terrorist infrastructure sites.’’
More than 50 people have reportedly been killed in the Gaza Strip amid the Israeli attacks since last night.
The Israeli military reported renewed shelling from the Gaza Strip, with two projectiles said to have been fired from southern Gaza coming down in the Palestinian territory.
At the same time, another was intercepted before reaching Israeli territory.
There were no initial reports of injuries or damage.
Since the start of the Gaza war, members of Hamas and other Palestinian terrorist organisations in the Gaza Strip have fired thousands of rockets at Israel.
(dpa/NAN)
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