Hamas proposes three 45-day ceasefires leading to the end of the war, with the remaining Israeli hostages released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the IDF's withdrawal from Gaza

Hamas has proposed a ceasefire plan that would silence weapons in Gaza for four and a half months, leading to an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza.

It comes in response to a proposal sent last week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators and backed by the United States and Israel.

According to a draft document seen by Reuters, the Hamas counterproposal envisions three phases, each lasting 45 days.

The proposal would see terrorists exchange the remaining Israeli hostages they captured on October 7 for Palestinian prisoners.

Reconstruction of Gaza would begin, Israeli forces would withdraw completely, and bodies and remains would be exchanged.

Palestinians return to their neighborhood after Israeli forces withdrew from Shuja'iyya neighborhood, inspecting destroyed buildings and roads due to Israeli attacks in Gaza City, Gaza on Tuesday

Smoke rises during the Israeli bombardment of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel overnight after meeting with the leaders of mediators Qatar and Egypt in the most serious diplomatic effort of the war yet aimed at reaching an extended ceasefire. Details of Hamas's counteroffer have not previously been reported.

According to the document, during the first 45-day phase, all Israeli female hostages, men under the age of 19, and the elderly and sick would be released, in exchange for the release of Palestinian women and children from Israeli prisons. Israel would also withdraw its troops from populated areas during the first phase.

Implementation of the second phase would begin only after the sides “concluded indirect discussions on the requirements necessary to end mutual military operations and return to complete calm.”

The second phase would include the release of the remaining male hostages and “the withdrawal of Israeli forces beyond the borders of all areas of the Gaza Strip.”

Bodies and remains would be exchanged during the third phase. The ceasefire would also increase the flow of food and other aid to Gaza's desperate civilians, who face hunger and a severe shortage of basic services.

Thirty-two of the more than 130 hostages still held by Hamas are no longer alive, according to a report.

Citing a confidential assessment conducted by Israeli intelligence officials, The New York Times reported yesterday that more hostages have been killed than previously thought.

So far, the IDF had only confirmed the deaths of 29 of the prisoners still in Gaza.

In addition to the 32 confirmed deaths, the IDF is assessing “unconfirmed intelligence” that at least 20 other hostages may also have been killed, the report said, citing four military officials speaking on condition of anonymity.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken (L) meets with Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, on Tuesday in Doha, Qatar

A view of the demolition as Palestinians return to their neighborhoods to search for their belongings in the Shuja'iyya district after Israeli forces withdrew from the area on Tuesday in Gaza City, Gaza

A view of the demolition as Palestinians return to their neighborhoods to search for their belongings in the Shuja'iyya district after Israeli forces withdrew from the area on Tuesday in Gaza City, Gaza

The officials said the families of the dead have all been informed of their deaths and confirmed that most of the dead were killed in the October 7 attacks and that their bodies were taken to Gaza.

IDF spokesman Admiral Daniel Hagari said in response to the report that the IDF is “working in every possible way to return.” [the hostages] home, and exhaust all information about them and their circumstances'.

He added: “The IDF is accompanying the families of the hostages in these complex and difficult days, and our representatives are providing the families with all confirmed information about their loved ones.”

He said the IDF has so far informed the families of 31 hostages that their loved ones have been confirmed killed.

These include 29 hostages taken by Hamas on October 7 – all announced in recent months – and soldiers Oron Shaul and Hadar Goldin, who were killed and their bodies taken by Hamas in 2014.

“To the rest of the families, we have provided accurate information about their fate and circumstances,” he added.

The Hostages and Missing Families Forum said the IDF had said before the article's publication that 31 of the hostages, down from 32, had died.

Israel began its military offensive in Gaza after terrorists from Hamas-ruled Gaza killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel on October 7.

Of the 253 hostages seized, 132 are believed to still be held after a week-long ceasefire in late November during which 105 people were released.

Four hostages were released before the armistice and another was rescued by the military.

Gaza's health ministry says at least 27,708 people have been killed in Israel's military campaign, while thousands more are feared buried under the rubble.