Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid stated that a proposal currently on the negotiating table in Washington includes a partial agreement to release ten hostages and hand over the bodies of 18 others, in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire during which the possibility of ending the war will be discussed.

In an interview with journalist Imad Adeeb on Sky News Arabia on Thursday evening, Lapid said,"Israel has agreed to the proposed framework, and the United States is pushing for it. Arab and regional countries must pressure Hamas to accept the agreement, in the interests of the residents of Gaza, the residents of Israel, the prisoners, and the entire region."

Lapid stressed that the war could end within 24 hours if Hamas decided to lay down its weapons, considering it"a terrorist organization that cannot be easily negotiated with." He also emphasized that ending the war is a duty that must be worked toward, he said.

He continued,"We do not want this war. We did not start it. It began with a massacre of our people. We only want the hostages to be returned, for the Israelis to feel safe, and for Hamas not to rule Gaza because it is the biggest obstacle to peace," he claimed.

Lapid claimed that Israel is making an unprecedented effort in the history of warfare by supplying the enemy with food and medicine despite the ongoing fighting. He explained that"the centers through which humanitarian aid is provided to the residents of Gaza were established by Israel, but the problem is that Hamas is seizing this aid and reselling it at exorbitant prices to the Palestinians, using the proceeds to purchase weapons," he claimed.

"We are not fighting the people of Gaza, but rather their greatest enemy, which is Hamas," he continued, considering that"the main reason for the killing of civilians is Hamas's use of them as human shields." He called on everyone to "expect more from Israel, as a democratic state, regarding the value of human life," but he stressed that "the one responsible for the tragedy is Hamas," he said.

Israel continues its war of extermination on the Gaza Strip, which has been ongoing since October 7, 2023, leaving more than 192,000 Palestinians dead and wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing, in addition to hundreds of thousands displaced.