Photo: Collected
Palestinian movement Hamas has dismissed media reports about a US-proposed agreement to swap 700 Palestinian captives for 40 Israeli hostages, saying such an exchange "will not work" amid the ongoing conflict in the Gaza Strip on Monday (25 March).
Earlier in the day, CNN reported, citing a source familiar with the matter, that Israel had agreed to the terms proposed by CIA Director Bill Burns for the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli hostages held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip and was awaiting a response from the movement on this matter.
One of Hamas members said that the media reports about the concessions and solutions offered to the movement by Israel had been "absurd and baseless propaganda of the Israeli media," IRNA reported.
"We have explained our position and we will not back down from it," the spokesman for Hamas was quoted.
On Sunday, Israeli reporter for the Axios news portal Barak Ravid wrote on X, that the US proposal involved the release of 100 Palestinians serving life sentences for killing Israelis, fewer than what was proposed by Qatari mediators three weeks ago. Israel rejected the Qatari proposal because Hamas had failed to respond to the one put forward during the Paris talks, which included the release of 400 prisoners, among them 25 serving life sentences, Ravid wrote.
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