TEL AVIV (Dispatches) -- Over 1,500 Israeli armored corps troops, including generals, signed a petition on Monday demanding the Zionist regime prioritize the return of hostages held in Gaza, even if it comes at the cost of ending the war in the besieged territory. 
According to the daily, Maariv, the petition was signed by 1,525 members of the armored corps, ranging from riflemen to generals.
They called on the regime “to do everything possible to secure” the release of the captives – even if it comes at the cost of halting the fighting.
Signatories include soldiers who served in the tank units and later became civilians without attending officer school, veteran soldiers, junior commanders, as well as former senior Israeli military officers, including former heads of the armored corps and division commanders, Maariv said.
On Monday, Hamas reaffirmed its readiness to release all remaining Israeli captives in Gaza in exchange for a comprehensive ceasefire, Israeli military withdrawal, release of Palestinian prisoners, and unimpeded humanitarian aid, according to Hamas media advisor Taher al-Nono.
Nono said the movement is ready to release all Israeli captives in exchange for “a serious swap deal, an end to the war, the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and the entry of humanitarian aid.”
“The problem is not the number of hostages, but that the occupation shirks its commitments, disrupts the ceasefire, and continues the war,” Nono stated.
The Hamas official’s comments came as indirect talks between Hamas and Israel in Cairo – mediated by Egypt and Qatar – ended without progress.
Israeli minister Zeev Elkin, a member of prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet, told the Israeli Army Radio that Tel Aviv was seeking the release of around 10 captives in exchange for renewing the ceasefire.
Hamas has asked for more time to respond to the latest proposal, an Egyptian source told Reuters.
“Hamas has no problem, but it wants guarantees Israel agrees to begin the talks on the second phase of the ceasefire agreement,” leading to an end to the war, the source said.
Tel Aviv and Hamas reached a ceasefire agreement in January. However, Israel refused to move to the second phase as agreed and resumed bombing Gaza on March 18. Since then, Israel has killed over 1,500 Palestinians, mostly women and children, and displaced hundreds of thousands more.