On January 22, Israel proposed to Hamas, an Islamic militant movement and one of the two main political parties in the Palestinian territories, a ceasefire in exchange for about 130 hostages that are still being held in Gaza. The ceasefire in question may last up to two months.

Specifically, the proposed agreement calls for the release of not only all the living hostages but also the return of the bodies of the dead hostages. This operation would be divided into several stages: first, women, men over the age of 60, and hostages in critical condition would be released; second, female soldiers and non-military men under the age of 60 would be released; then soldiers; and last, the bodies of the hostages. However, it still remains uncertain how many Palestinian prisoners are to be released for each Israeli hostage.

Although this proposed ceasefire may signal an approaching end to the ongoing conflict, Israeli officials have made it clear that Israel has no intention of accepting a proposal to end the war and will not agree to release all Palestinian prisoners, the number of which is around 6,000. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu further stated, “We will not accept every agreement or at any price. Many things that have been said in the media as if we have accepted them, for example, the release of terrorists, we do not accept.” He stressed that Israel will not end the war until “the elimination of Hamas, the return of all hostages, and the achievement of the goal of a Gaza that no longer poses a threat to Israel.”

The Palestinian group Hamas’ response to the proposed ceasefire has not yet been received. Representatives of the organization said through the Hamas-controlled Al-Aqsa television channel that in-depth evaluations are currently underway. Some Arabic-language media had suggested that Hamas might reject the agreement, but such advances have not been officially confirmed by the organization’s officials.

So, what is the reason for Netanyahu’s proposal? He has been under a lot of pressure regarding the release of the hostages. Indeed, there have been several protests by the families of the hostages, and they have been asked to mobilize as soon as possible. A group of relatives broke in during the session of the Knesset Finance Committee, thus interrupting the proceedings. During the incident, shouts, invective, and threats were heard as protesters displayed signs with photos of their loved ones. This created an atmosphere of strong emotional tension, paralyzing the committee members and eventually leading to the suspension of the session.