Israel proposes two-phase hostage release plan to Hamas

Israel has proposed a two-phase plan to the Hamas movement, through Egyptian mediators, for the release of hostages held in Gaza, well-informed Egyptian sources told Xinhua on Saturday.

The initial phase of the proposal involves Hamas releasing 11 living hostages and the bodies of 16 deceased individuals. This would be followed by a 40-day truce.

Subsequently, in the second phase, Israel's proposal calls for Hamas to release all the remaining hostages in a single batch.