On Friday, Agence France-Presse revealed the most prominent provisions of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza in two stages.

Hamas announced, late Thursday evening, that it had presented to the mediators a comprehensive vision based on the principles it described as necessary to agree on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Agence France-Presse quoted an official in the movement as saying that the proposal presented by Hamas stipulates that the deal will begin in a first phase that includes a six-week truce and the release of 42 Israeli detainees, including women, children, the elderly and the sick.

In exchange, Israel releases 20 to 30 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli detainee, including prisoners with high sentences. The movement demands the release of 30 to 50 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of every soldier detained in the Gaza Strip.

The same official explained that among the detainees whom the movement proposes to release in the first stage are female soldiers.

According to Hamas's proposal, the occupation army must withdraw from all cities and populated areas in the Gaza Strip, the displaced must return without restrictions, and aid must flow at least 500 trucks per day.

In the second stage, Hamas releases all its detainees in exchange for "an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners."

Hamas also demands, at the end of the second phase, “a complete Israeli military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, an end to the siege, and the opening of the crossings,” provided that “Egypt and Qatar, along with the United States, follow up and guarantee the agreement” and its implementation, according to the same official.

Hamdan: Hamas provided high flexibility and our negotiating card is realistic

In turn, the leader of the Hamas movement, Osama Hamdan, commented this Friday evening on the movement’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, saying, “Our negotiating card is realistic and has provided high flexibility, and our position is to be aligned with the interests of the Palestinian people.”

He added, "Our ceasefire proposal confirms the end of the aggression, the enemy's withdrawal, and the start of relief operations," noting that the Israeli occupation "is trying to go to the issue of prisoners to circumvent the issue of ending the aggression."

He continued, "The day after the battle of Gaza is distinctly Palestinian and is not allowed to be tampered with by the occupation or its sponsors," considering that "whoever accepts to be an agent of the occupation in the issue of the next day in Gaza must bear the consequences of his choice."

The Israeli War Council is expected to meet this evening to discuss this proposal.

Hamas had stressed in its statement yesterday that “in the context of the Hamas movement’s follow-up to negotiations through the mediating brothers in Egypt and Qatar, to stop the aggression against our people in Gaza and provide relief and aid to them, the return of the displaced to their places of residence, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip.”

Israeli media reported, late Thursday night - Friday, that Mossad chief David Barnea received from the Prime Minister and Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman Al Thani the Hamas movement’s official response regarding the expected deal with the Israeli occupation, indicating that The War Cabinet will hold an urgent session on Friday evening to discuss the response.

The Hebrew website "Ynet" reported, quoting an Israeli official, that "it can be said that there are positive indicators about a certain progress in communications towards a new deal, but it is too early to say whether this will lead to moving the negotiations."

He revealed that "Israeli officials are currently studying Hamas' response, which includes a series of demands and conditions."