Israel rejects new Gaza ceasefire deal proposed by US mediators

Jerusalem, May 26 (IANS) Israel has rejected a new proposal aimed at halting its offensive in Gaza and securing the release of 10 more hostages, Israel's state-owned Kan TV reported on Monday.

A senior Israeli official from the country's negotiation team told Kan TV that US mediators presented the proposal overnight. It included the release of five living hostages and five deceased, the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, a 70-day ceasefire, and negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire, according to the official.

The official said Israel rejected the deal, describing it as a "surrender to Hamas."

Israel has insisted on the so-called Witkoff framework, a deal proposal presented by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in early March, which calls for the release of additional Israeli hostages in return for a 50-day truce, and a promise to engage in talks on a longer truce. It doesn't mention a withdrawal of Israeli forces or the release of Palestinian prisoners, two of Hamas's key demands.

Another round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas -- aimed at ending Israel's 19-month-long military campaign and securing the release of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza -- ended on Thursday after Netanyahu recalled the delegation, Xinhua news agency reported. Israel ended a three-phase ceasefire agreement in March, following two months of truce during which Hamas released 33 Israeli hostages. It refused to proceed to the second phase and resumed its assault on Gaza.

Last week, Philip Lazzarini, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), called for a "meaningful and uninterrupted" flow of aid into the Gaza Strip.

Israel has long argued that much of the international aid to Gazans was diverted by Hamas, the armed de facto authority in the strip with tacit approval by the UN relief agency for Palestine refugees. The United Nations strongly denied the allegation.

--IANS

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