A US envoy is visiting Egypt and Qatar to try to broker a deal as pressure mounts on Tel Aviv to repatriate captives.
Israel has reportedly prepared a two-month truce proposal aimed at securing the release of prisoners held by Hamas and other groups, but without ending the war in Gaza.
American and Israeli press reported Monday evening that Israel was optimistic that a deal could be reached with U.S. assistance. The plan comes amid intensifying fighting in southern Gaza and growing pressure on the Israeli government to reach a deal to bring captives home.
US website Axios cited Israeli officials as saying the proposal was presented to Hamas through Qatari and Egyptian mediators. It includes a two-month truce during which all Israeli detainees in Gaza will be released.
Israel’s Channel 13 reported that the principles of the agreement consist of three to four stages of releasing captives. Meanwhile, the Israeli army would withdraw from certain areas of the enclave, but without ending the war.
Reports suggest that the United States is advancing this plan with its regional partners. White House Middle East coordinator Brett McGurk is currently in Cairo to discuss the deal, with plans to continue in Qatar.
Steps
Reporting from occupied East Jerusalem, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Stefanie Dekker said the proposal plans to release captives in stages, starting with women and people over 60.
A second phase would see the transfer of female soldiers and men considered non-soldiers by Hamas. The third phase would include male soldiers and bodies remaining inside Gaza.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers could be redeployed away from some urban areas to allow Palestinians to return home.
“Of course the question is where should they go back to,” Dekker said.
In Israel, families of captives are putting increasing pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a deal. Amid continued bombing of Gaza, they fear time is running out to bring their loved ones home alive.
On Monday, dozens of relatives stormed a parliamentary committee meeting, demanding that the government seek an agreement to secure the release of their loved ones.
Stuttering
A week-long truce in November saw the release of about 100 of the approximately 240 captives taken to Gaza on October 7 when Hamas launched a surprise attack in Israel. Efforts to establish a new pause, or even a ceasefire, have since failed.
But Israel faces growing impatience as it ignores calls to reduce its attacks.
On Monday, the EU ignored Israeli Foreign Minister Israel Katz by proposing the construction of an artificial island in the Mediterranean near the coast of Gaza as a hub for the enclave’s trade relations with the rest of the world.
But facing political pressure and demands from hardline coalition partners, Netanyahu has repeatedly vowed to continue the offensive until Hamas is crushed.
Reports of truce negotiations come amid intensifying fighting in southern Gaza, with hundreds of civilian casualties adding to the death toll in the enclave, which local authorities say exceeds now 25,000.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said Tuesday morning that its headquarters in Khan Younis had been bombed.
Writing on
United Nations agencies and humanitarian groups have sounded the alarm over the growing threat of disease and famine in Gaza, where 1.7 million people are believed to have been displaced from their homes.
This makes stopping the fighting even more urgent, and there is hope that in addition to the pressure from families, recent troop losses could provide additional momentum to efforts to ease the conflict.
On Tuesday, the Israeli army announced that it had lost at least 21 soldiers in one of the deadliest attacks on its troops since the war began three months ago.