Qatar proposes 60-day Gaza ceasefire, hostage swap: Israeli media

Qatar has submitted a new proposal to Israel that includes a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange agreement, Israeli media said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports.

The public broadcaster KAN, citing two unnamed diplomatic sources, said the proposal calls for the release of eight Israeli hostages on the first day of the truce. It also includes the release of two more living hostages on the 50th day of the ceasefire.

In addition, the plan outlines the return of the remains of 18 Israeli hostages in three separate batches, though the report did not specify a timeline for the handover.

There was no immediate comment from the Qatari authorities on the report.

The proposed framework resembles an earlier plan advanced by US Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff.

KAN, citing sources familiar with the indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, said key disagreements remain, notably regarding the conditions to end the war and the extent of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

On Tuesday, US President Donald Trump expressed optimism about a Gaza deal in the coming days.

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“We hope (a ceasefire) is going to happen and we’re looking for it to happen sometime next week,” he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to visit Washington next week to meet with Trump.

Critics in Israel, including the opposition and families of the hostages, accuse Netanyahu of prolonging the war to satisfy hardline factions in his coalition and maintain his grip on power.

Hamas, for its part, has repeatedly said it is willing to release all Israeli captives in exchange for an end to the war, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners – conditions Netanyahu has rejected, insisting on additional demands such as disarming Palestinian resistance factions.

Israel estimates that roughly 50 hostages remain held in Gaza, about 20 of whom are believed to be alive. Meanwhile, more than 10,400 Palestinians are currently imprisoned in Israel, where they face torture, starvation, and medical neglect – conditions that have led to multiple deaths, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights groups and media outlets.

Despite international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a deadly onslaught on Gaza, killing more than 56,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.

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