Israel and Hamas are still working to reach a truce amid the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian militant Group, Hamas – which rules Gaza – is yet to respond to the latest proposal. The proposal has been put before Hamas by the US and Egyptian mediators, reportedly with Israel’s acceptance.
According to the Associated Press, the deal involves freeing 33 Israeli hostages held by Hamas, an immediate six-week ceasefire and the delivery of much-needed food, medicine and water into Gaza. Palestinian prisoners are also expected to be released if Hamas agree to the proposal. Besides these, there might be that includes some sort of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, Egyptian officials were quoted by the Associated Press as saying. As per the , the proposal also seeks “the return of civilians to the largely depopulated northern part of Gaza”. The report cited officials as saying, “Israel would allow displaced Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza.” This is seen as a “sharp reversal on an issue that has been a sticking point in the talks”. Moreover, it is hoped that a six-week ceasefire will eventually lead to a longer-term ceasefire.
The militant group is guarantees for a full Israeli withdrawal and a complete end to the war. However, the Israeli offer, according to one of the Israeli officials, doesn’t include language that refers explicitly to an end to the fighting, the reported. Hamas is yet to respond to the latest ceasefire proposal. Hamas spokesperson Osama Hamdan was earlier quoted by the as saying in an interview, “Our position on the current negotiating paper is negative.”
“The negative position does not mean negotiations have stopped,” Hamas press office later clarified, adding, “There is a back-and-forth issue.” The group has not clearly specified what changes it wants in the latest proposal. Hamas supreme leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a statement that “to complete the ongoing discussions with the aim of working forward for an agreement.”
Last month, Khalil al-Hayya, a top Hamas political official, had The Associated Press that the Islamic militant group is willing to agree to a truce of five years or more with Israel and that it would lay down its weapons and convert into a political party if an independent Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders. In March, had key terms of Hamas’ proposal for the Gaza truce. It involved releasing Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a ceasefire to be divided into three stages, each lasting 42 days. As per the report, the first phase was about the withdrawal of Israeli forces from al-Rashid and Salah al-Din streets. The second phase involved a permanent ceasefire to be declared before any more captives are released and the third stage was about Israel lifting its siege on Gaza, and initiating the rebuilding of the enclave.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel said he supports the latest proposed deal. He, however, vowed to carry out a major ground offensive in Rafah “with or without a deal.”
“The idea that we will halt the war before achieving all of its goals is out of the question. We there – with or without a deal, in order to achieve the total victory,” Netanyahu said as per a an press release. Responding to this, Hamas spokesman Hamdan said, “ .” More than one million in the aftermath of the Israel-Hamas war, the . Rafah is the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza.
The NYT report added that Israel’s threat to carry out an offensive in Rafah can put pressure on Hamas to take the deal. ” eventually lead to a permanent ceasefire and avert a bloody battle in Rafah,” the report said. Meanwhile, the situation has put Netanyahu in tough spot too. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich was quoted as saying that a government under his leadership doesn’t have “the right to exist”. But, if Israel does agree to , it would be a major turnaround. If Israel and Hamas strike an agreement, it would be the first ceasefire since late November, when a short-lived pause in the fighting allowed for the release of more than The war in Gaza has killed more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to local health officials. The conflict started on October 7 last year when Hamas launched a surprise attack into southern Israel, killing around 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducting around 250 hostages. Israel says militants still hold around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
