Hamas rejects Israeli ceasefire, hostage return deal over disarmament demands
Hamas appears to have rejected Israel’s latest attempt to secure a ceasefire and the return of nearly a dozen hostages who have been held in the Gaza Strip for 556 days.
The organization has yet to issue a formal response regarding its rejection of Israel’s ceasefire proposal, but according to remarks by Hamas leader Abu Zuhri to reporters on Tuesday, "Handing over the resistance's weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion."
Fox News Digital could not independently verify the extent of the terms involved in the deal, but sources said the conditions included a 45-day ceasefire and the return of humanitarian aid – which has been blocked since March 2 – in exchange for 11 hostages and the disarmament of Hamas.
Israeli government assesses that 24 of the 59 hostages held in the Gaza Strip are still alive, including American Israeli Edan Alexander – who had a second proof of life video released by Hamas on Saturday, the eve of Passover.
But Hamas on Tuesday claimed it had lost contact with the soldiers said to be guarding Alexander and accused Israeli forces of targeting his location, though it did not provide evidence of any strike.
Hamas on multiple occasions has falsely blamed Israeli attacks for either the death of or the loss of communication with hostages held across the Gaza Strip.
Fox News Digital could not immediately reach Israeli authorities nor Alexander’s family for confirmation of the Tuesday claims posted in a Telegram post by Abu Obeida, spokesperson for Hamas’ Al-Qassam Brigades.
News of the proposal’s failure does not appear to have come as a surprise to mediators, who remain tight-lipped and have not responded to Fox New Digital’s questions.
Some reporting suggested that mediators were not confident the Israeli ceasefire proposal would gain much traction despite Israel’s continued advances in Gaza because it did not propose any withdrawal terms and called on Hamas to relinquish its arms.
Israel frustrated mediators last month when it resumed military operations across the Gaza Strip following the end of the first ceasefire and the failure to secure a second phase, which was intended to see the release of the remaining hostages.
Israel over the weekend captured more territoryin the Gaza Strip after reports earlier this month indicated it had taken over half of the Palestinian territory as talks remain stalled over ceasefire negotiations.
Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said on Sunday the IDF had captured territory in the southern portion of the Gaza Strip from the Philadelphia Corridor, which runs along the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, and the Morag axis, a new corridor announced by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this month, which cuts off the city of Rafah and southern Gaza off from Khan Younis – roughly a quarter of the way up the Strip from the Egyptian border.
Katz said the area has become a buffer zone controlled by the IDF.
"The area of the northern border in Gaza is also deepening and expanding as part of the security zone and the protection of Israeli settlement," he said in a post on X. "Hundreds of thousands of residents have already evacuated from the combat zones and tens of percent of Gaza's territory has become part of Israel's security zones.
"The main goal is to exert heavy pressure on Hamas in favor of returning to the outline of releasing the abductees," Katz continued. "Gaza will become smaller and more isolated, and more and more of its residents will be forced to evacuate the combat zones."
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