The United States has taken steps to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas by revising its proposed ceasefire and hostage-release deal for Gaza. The current proposal under discussion, which builds upon US President Joe Biden’s initial framework outlined in a White House speech last month, outlines a three-phase process for ending the conflict in Gaza and securing the release of hostages held by Hamas and other terrorist groups.
While Israel has voiced its support for the proposal, Hamas has effectively rejected it. According to Axios, the Biden administration has reworked the language of certain sections of the proposal, with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken confirming that “numerous changes” have been implemented.
Specifically, revisions have been made to Article 8 of the proposal, which pertains to negotiations between Israel and Hamas during the initial phase of the ceasefire. The original plan envisioned a six-week ceasefire during which women, the elderly, and injured hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. During this period, Palestinians would also be allowed to return to their homes as Israel withdraws from populated areas in Gaza. The second phase would mark a permanent end to the conflict with the release of all hostages, and the third phase would focus on Gaza’s reconstruction.
The revised proposal, however, focuses on the negotiations between Israel and Hamas during the implementation of the first phase. Sources indicate that Hamas seeks to prioritize the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners to be released by Israel in exchange for each living Israeli soldier or male hostage. Conversely, Israel aims to leverage this negotiation to address issues such as the demilitarization of Gaza during these discussions. The US is collaborating with Qatar and Egypt to facilitate a compromise between the two parties. Despite these efforts, the US maintains that Hamas is the primary obstacle to reaching an agreement.
Meanwhile, a senior Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, has dismissed the revised proposal, stating that it offers “nothing new” and that there is “no real progress” in the negotiations. Hamdan contends that the proposals are merely a “waste of time” and provide Israel with “additional time to practise genocide.”
Hamdan has asserted that Hamas is being pressured to accept the proposal endorsed by Israel “as it is without modification.” While the US strives to bridge the divide and secure a deal, the revised proposal appears to have met resistance from Hamas, raising doubts about the potential for a swift resolution to the conflict.
