Hamas has presented a ceasefire proposal that includes prisoner exchange and delivery of aid to the people in the besieged Gaza Strip.   

In a statement late on Thursday, Hamas announced that it had handed the new proposal to mediators, Egypt and Qatar.

“The rights and concerns of our people shall remain our top priority,” it added, Press TV reported.  

Hamas said it would agree on a date for a permanent ceasefire after the initial exchange of captives and detainees, and that a deadline for an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza would be agreed upon after the first stage.

All captives and detainees from both sides would be released in a second stage of the plan.

The office of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed any hope for a pause in the war in Gaza after it said the new Hamas position was based on "unrealistic demands."

bd-pratidin/GR