Israel is ready to call a pause to its combat operation in the Gaza Strip for two weeks to allow time for the release of hostages held in the embattled enclave by radical Palestinian group Hamas, although the combatant parties are still a long way off from a truce agreement, with Hamas rejecting Tel Aviv’s proposal, News.Az reports citing the Israeli Arab-language television channel Makan 33.
According to its sources in Jerusalem, Israel is ready for a two-week ceasefire provided that dozens of abducted people are freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, including those convicted of terrorism. However, the sides "still have a long way to go to reach an understanding."
Meanwhile, Hamas has so far rejected the offer in its proposed format as the Palestinian militants are insisting on a complete halt to the fighting and efforts to provide humanitarian assistance to residents of the Gaza Strip, Makan 33 added.
