Hamas officials showed Tel Aviv Tribune a copy of the Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal that the movement says it has accepted.
The proposal includes three phases and would see the end of Israel’s war on Gaza as well as the release of Israeli captives held in the enclave and Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Hamas’ announcement Monday sparked celebrations in Gaza, with Palestinians hoping it would finally end a nearly seven-month war, during which Israel has killed at least 34,700 people in the Palestinian territory.
However, Israel’s response was less enthusiastic, as it continued to emphasize its desire to attack Rafah in southern Gaza and completely defeat Hamas.
Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7 killed around 1,400 people, while 250 were taken captive to Gaza. Around 100 of these captives are believed to be still alive and in Gaza, while others were freed or killed during the war.
For its part, the United States remained discreet. The officials said they were studying Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal, but provided no details about the agreement or what exactly the Palestinian group had agreed to.
What is the deal that Hamas says it accepted?
The deal is complex and would have three phases, each of which would last six weeks.
In the first phase, there would be a temporary cessation of hostilities between Hamas and Israel as well as a withdrawal of Israeli forces eastwards, away from the most populated areas of Gaza, and towards the border between Israel and the enclave. Palestinian. . Israeli planes and drones would also stop flying over Gaza for 10 hours each day, and for 12 hours on days when captives are released.
Hamas would gradually release 33 captives (either living captives or remains of deceased captives) during the first phase. The captives will be women, anyone over the age of 50, sick people or non-soldiers under the age of 19. For every Israeli civilian captive released alive, Israel would release 30 Palestinians it has detained. For every female soldier released by Hamas, Israel would free 50 Palestinians.
The withdrawal of Israeli forces would allow displaced Palestinian civilians to return to their homes across Gaza, which would happen gradually as Hamas frees the captives. Furthermore, the agreement stipulates that reconstruction work in Gaza must begin during this phase, as well as the flow of aid, and that UNRWA and other humanitarian organizations be allowed to work to help civilians. .
In the second phase of the agreement, there would be a permanent end to military operations and a complete withdrawal of Israel from Gaza. There would also be another prisoner exchange, this time involving all remaining Israeli men, including soldiers held captive in Gaza. The Israelis would be released in exchange for a still undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners.
The third phase would see an exchange of remains of captives and prisoners held by both sides. On the development side, this phase would involve a three- to five-year plan to rebuild Gaza and, perhaps most importantly, an end to the Israeli blockade of the enclave.
What was Israel’s reaction?
Israel asked Palestinians in eastern Rafah to leave on Monday as it prepared to launch a military campaign in southern Gaza, despite international opposition. This seems to indicate that the Israelis do not believe a deal is possible.
But now, as Hamas deputy leader Khalil al-Hayya said, the ball is in Israel’s court. The Israelis reacted cautiously. Initial reports in Israeli media conveyed the message that the deal reached by Hamas was not the one Israel had discussed.
Meanwhile, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir immediately took to social media to reject the deal and call for the invasion of Rafah.
An Israeli official speaking to the Reuters news agency added that Hamas’ announcement appeared “to be a ruse intended to make Israel appear as the party refusing a deal.”
Ultimately, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal did not meet Israel’s demands, but that he would send a delegation to Cairo to meet with negotiators.
He added that the Israeli war cabinet had unanimously agreed to “continue the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas”, and that on Monday evening, intense Israeli air attacks took place in the south from Gaza.
Meanwhile, family members of captives held in Gaza demonstrated in Tel Aviv, calling on the government to accept a deal.
How did the Palestinians in Gaza react?
Palestinians in Gaza immediately took to the streets to celebrate. For the population of the enclave, an agreement would mean the end of what has been a devastating war, in which the whole of Gaza was decimated and death did not spare most families.
However, this joy was partly tempered by the fact that this deal was only made by one party. So while many remain optimistic, Palestinians know that this is not the end of the war – especially as Israel continues to rain its bombs.
U.S. officials at the White House and State Department were repeatedly asked by reporters during press briefings about Hamas’ acceptance of the deal.
But Matthew Miller, the State Department spokesman, and John Kirby, the White House national security spokesman, declined to go into detail, with Miller saying Washington would “withhold judgment” until ‘so that officials have time to fully examine Hamas’ response.
Miller declined to say whether Hamas had accepted a U.S.-endorsed offer or a different version of the proposal.
“As you know, (CIA) Director (William) Burns is in the region working on this in real time. We will discuss this response with our partners in the coming hours,” he continued.
At the same time, Kirby said President Joe Biden had been briefed on Hamas’ response, adding that the talks were at a “critical stage” and that he did not want to say anything that would jeopardize the chances of reaching a agreement.