Israel has accepted a brand new U.S. proposal for a short lived ceasefire with Hamas, the White Home stated Thursday.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s particular envoy, Steve Witkoff, expressed optimism earlier this week about brokering an settlement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return extra of the hostages captured within the assault that ignited it.
White Home press secretary Karoline Leavitt advised reporters that Israel “backed and supported” the brand new proposal.
Hamas officers gave the Israeli-approved draft a cool response, however stated they wished to review the proposal extra carefully earlier than giving a proper reply.
“The Zionist response, in essence, means perpetuating the occupation and persevering with the killing and famine,” Bassem Naim, a high Hamas official, advised The Related Press. He stated it “doesn’t reply to any of our individuals’s calls for, foremost amongst which is stopping the battle and famine.”
Nonetheless, he stated the group would research the proposal “with all nationwide accountability.”
Hamas had beforehand stated it had agreed with Witkoff on a “normal framework” of an settlement that may result in a long-lasting ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an influx of aid, and a switch of energy from the militant group to a politically unbiased committee of Palestinians.
Right here’s what’s identified concerning the rising negotiations that purpose to result in an prolonged truce within the battle in alternate for hostages that stay in captivity:
What do Israel and Hamas need?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to finish the battle till all of the hostages are launched and Hamas is both destroyed or disarmed and despatched into exile. He has stated Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to because the voluntary emigration of a lot of its inhabitants.
Palestinians and a lot of the worldwide group have rejected plans to resettle Gaza’s inhabitants, a transfer specialists say would likely violate international law.
Hamas has stated it would solely launch the remaining hostages — its solely bargaining chip — in return for more Palestinian prisoners, a long-lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal. It has provided to surrender energy to a committee of politically unbiased Palestinians that might oversee reconstruction.
Hamas is still holding 58 hostages. Round a 3rd are believed to be alive, although many concern they’re in grave hazard the longer the battle goes on. Hundreds of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and floor operations after ending a ceasefire in March.
The dispute over whether or not there must be a short lived ceasefire to launch extra hostages — as Israel has referred to as for — or a everlasting one — as Hamas desires — has bedeviled talks brokered by the U.S., Egypt and Qatar for greater than a yr and a half, and there’s no indication it has been resolved.
What’s the newest ceasefire proposal?
Witkoff has not publicized his newest proposal, however a Hamas official and an Egyptian official independently confirmed among the particulars. They spoke on situation of anonymity to debate the delicate talks.
They are saying it requires a 60-day pause in combating, ensures of great negotiations resulting in a long-term truce and assurances that Israel won’t resume hostilities after the discharge of hostages, as it did in March. Israeli forces would pull again to the positions they held in the course of the ceasefire Israel ended that month.
Hamas would launch 10 residing hostages and quite a lot of our bodies in the course of the 60-day pause in alternate for greater than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, together with 100 serving lengthy sentences after being convicted of lethal assaults.
Every day, a whole lot of vans carrying meals and humanitarian help can be allowed to enter Gaza, the place specialists say a virtually three-month Israeli blockade — slightly eased in recent days — has pushed the inhabitants to the brink of famine.
Why is it so onerous to finish the battle?
Hamas-led militants stormed southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 individuals, largely civilians, and abducting 251 hostages. Greater than half the hostages have been launched in ceasefires or different offers. Israel has rescued eight and recovered dozens of our bodies.
Israel’s ensuing navy marketing campaign has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, largely ladies and kids, in response to the Gaza Well being Ministry, which doesn’t say how most of the useless have been civilians or combatants.
The offensive has destroyed huge areas of Gaza and displaced round 90% of its inhabitants of roughly 2 million Palestinians, with a whole lot of hundreds residing in squalid tent camps and unused faculties.
Hamas has been vastly depleted militarily and lost nearly all of its top leaders in Gaza. It almost definitely fears that releasing all of the hostages with out securing a everlasting ceasefire would permit Israel to launch an much more devastating marketing campaign to in the end destroy the group.
Israel fears {that a} lasting ceasefire and withdrawal now would go away Hamas with important affect in Gaza, even when it surrenders formal energy. With time, Hamas may have the ability to rebuild its navy may and ultimately launch extra Oct. 7-style assaults.
Netanyahu also faces political constraints: His far-right coalition companions have threatened to deliver down his authorities if he ends the battle too quickly. That would go away him extra weak to prosecution on longstanding corruption charges and to investigations into the failures surrounding the Oct. 7 assault.
A broader decision to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian battle seems extra distant than ever.
The Palestinians are weak and divided, and Israel’s present authorities — essentially the most nationalist and non secular in its historical past — is against Palestinian calls for for a state in Gaza, the West Bank and east Jerusalem, territories Israel occupied within the 1967 Mideast battle.
The final critical peace talks broke down greater than 15 years in the past.
Magdy reported from Cairo. AP writers Fatma Khaled in Cairo and Aamer Madhani in Washington contributed reporting.
