Trump expected to announce temporary Gaza truce under Witkoff plan

Details have emerged of the amended ceasefire proposal forwarded by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, after he announced on Wednesday his intention of securing a "long term solution" in Gaza.

The proposal states that Israel would immediately halt its military offensive on Gaza in return for ten Israeli captives and the bodies of 18 deceased captives being handed over in two stages, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister site, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, reported.

On the first day of the deal coming into force, five captives will be released along with the bodies of nine deceased captives. On the seventh day, another five captives will be released, as well as the bodies of nine more deceased captives.

In exchange, Israel will release 125 Palestinians sentenced to life in prison, 1,111 Palestinians from Gaza detained since October 2023, and more than 180 bodies of Gaza residents in two stages.

On the 10th day, Hamas will provide a list detailing the medical conditions of the remaining captives in Gaza. 

The deal would see a total of 28 of the remaining 58 Israeli captives held in Gaza - dead and alive - released.

The agreement is still being discussed in negotiations in Doha, which have been attended by Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah - the Trump administration's point man in back-channel talks with Hamas. Bahbah, who was credited with securing the release of Israeli-American soldier Edan Alexander in May,  has been in Doha for more than ten days.

US President Donald Trump is expected to announce the deal upon its final approval. Hamas confirmed on Thursday that it had received the proposal, while Israel has yet to comment.

According to Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the United States, Egypt and Qatar will be the guarantors of the agreement.

Earlier this week, it was reported that Israel had rejected a proposal forwarded by Bahbah, which followed a Trump framework, designed by Witkoff, that would see a truce lasting between 45 and 60 days. Bahbah's proposal included a personal guarantee from the US president that Israel will enter talks to permanently end the war.

Israel has so far rejected talk of a permanent truce, saying that the conflict will end when Hamas is defeated or surrenders.

Meanwhile on the ground, Israel has continued its offensive on Gaza, where it has killed over 54,249 Palestinians and wounded 123,492 since October 2023, according to Gaza's health ministry.

In the latest phase of the offensive, dubbed 'Gideon's Chariots', Israel's government has said it aims to bring the entirety of Gaza under Israeli control and to defeat Hamas.