RAMALLAH, Oct 10 (KUNA) -- The Israeli occupation government approved early Friday the first phase of a peace plan proposed by US President Donald Trump, which includes a ceasefire, prisoner exchange, and the entry of humanitarian aid into the war-torn Gaza Strip.
According to Israeli occupation media, the cabinet convened late Thursday with the attendance of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner before approving the deal.
The office of Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed the government's endorsement of the proposal, which calls for the release of Israeli occupation prisoners and the retrieval of bodies in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The exchange process is set to take place 72 hours after the approval, during which Hamas will release 20 prisoners believed to be alive and hand over several bodies.
Palestinian movement Hamas said earlier that recovering all the bodies would take additional time due to the extensive destruction caused by Israeli occupation's two-year genocide and the deaths of resistance members accompanying the prisoners.
Israeli occupation reports noted there is an opposition to freeing prominent Palestinains figures such as the member of Fatah Central Committee Marwan Barghouthi, currently serving a life sentence, and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) Secretary-General Ahmad Saadat, as well as Hamas leaders Abbas Al-Sayed and Hassan Salameh, whose names were reportedly removed from the exchange list.
Hamas negotiator Khalil said the movement had received firm guarantees from mediators and the US administration confirming that the war "has completely ended." (end) nq.sar