In a positive development in the ongoing truce negotiations regarding the conflict in Gaza, Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has agreed to a US proposal to initiate discussions on the release of Israeli hostages.
This decision was made 16 days after the initial phase of an agreement intended to bring an end to the Gaza conflict, as stated by a senior Hamas official to Reuters on Saturday. The acceptance of the proposal by Hamas came after Israeli negotiators are scheduled to resume peace talks next week concerning a ceasefire and a potential exchange of hostages, according to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Hamas has decided to forego its demand for Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire before finalizing the agreement. Instead, negotiations will be allowed to work towards achieving this goal during the initial six-week phase, as mentioned by a source who requested anonymity. A Palestinian official involved in the peace efforts mentioned that this proposal could pave the way for a framework agreement that may bring an end to the nine-month conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, provided that Israel agrees to it.
A member of Israel’s negotiating team, speaking on the condition of anonymity, expressed optimism about the possibility of reaching a ceasefire agreement, which is a significant departure from previous situations during the nine-month conflict in Gaza, where Israel found Hamas’ conditions unacceptable. A spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu did not provide an immediate response to a request for comment on Saturday.
According to the recent proposal put forth by US President Biden, the initial stage of the peace initiative would involve a six-week ceasefire, during which Israeli forces would pull out from Gaza urban areas, and hostages, such as the elderly and women, would be swapped for hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to Gaza, encompassing northern Gaza, and 600 trucks would deliver humanitarian assistance to Gaza daily, as stated by Biden.
In the subsequent phase, Hamas and Israel would engage in discussions to establish conditions for a permanent cessation of hostilities. “The ceasefire will be upheld as long as negotiations are ongoing,” the president remarked, marking a new development. The third phase would encompass a comprehensive reconstruction strategy for Gaza. Biden mentioned that the proposal has been communicated to Hamas through Qatar.
The conflict has resulted in the loss of over 38,000 Palestinian lives, as reported by Gaza health authorities, since Hamas launched attacks on southern Israeli cities on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 individuals and the capture of around 250 hostages, according to official Israeli data. A regional insider mentioned that the US government is making significant efforts to reach an agreement before the presidential election in November.
Despite progress in ceasefire discussions, separate Israeli airstrikes claimed the lives of at least six individuals on Friday in central Gaza, including two children at a residence and at least one United Nations employee, as reported by Palestinian medical facilities and emergency responders. Nearly 2 million Palestinians, four out of every five individuals in Gaza, have been forced into the heart of the territory by expanding Israeli military operations and evacuation directives.
Violence also erupted on Friday in the occupied West Bank, where Israeli forces killed seven individuals in a raid and an airstrike, according to Palestinian health authorities. Israeli troops “surrounded a building where terrorists had barricaded themselves” and engaged in a gunfight with those inside, while an airstrike “targeted several armed terrorists” in the vicinity.
Israeli limitations, continuous conflict, and the collapse of legal structure have hindered humanitarian assistance operations, leading to extensive hunger and raising concerns of a potential famine. The highest UN tribunal has determined that there is a “credible threat of genocide” in Gaza — an accusation that Israel vehemently refutes.
