It has been reported that Egypt proposed a ‘three-stage war ending plan’ to both Israel and the Palestinian armed group Hamas for the release of all hostages and a comprehensive ceasefire. Israel plans to consider resuming negotiations based on the proposal received, but it does not seem to be letting go of its offensive, continuing to bomb the Gaza Strip until Christmas Day.
On the 25th, Israeli media such as the Times of Israel reported that Egypt, which is mediating the peace negotiations, proposed a ‘three-stage end-of-war plan’ aimed at ending the war entirely, starting with a two-week cease-fire for both sides, and said, “Israeli officials have fully drafted the end-of-war plan. “We are not rejecting it,” the report said. This is interpreted to mean that Israel’s war cabinet can begin negotiations based on this draft.
This is the first time that the contents of the war-ending plan for negotiations between the two sides in a war phase have been made public. According to this, in the first stage, Hamas will release 40 hostages, including Israeli women, minors, and elderly men, and stop fighting for two weeks. In return, Israel will release 120 Palestinian prisoners. The conditions of the temporary ceasefire at the end of last month will still apply.
In the second stage, a ‘Palestinian National Conference’ was held to unite multiple political factions, including the Fatah Party, which currently leads the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank, and Hamas, which has ruled the Gaza Strip, to discuss ways to establish an emergency security government in the Gaza Strip. do. The government will also oversee humanitarian aid, reconstruction, and elections in the future. The third stage is a full ceasefire stage, in which all held Israeli hostages are released, Palestinian prisoners are exchanged, and the war is officially declared to be over. Israeli troops will completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip and Palestinian refugees will be allowed to return home.
The level of aggression by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) shows no signs of abating. The Washington Post (WP) reported on the 23rd and 24th that the IDF carried out airstrikes on three places, including a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip. The Gaza Strip’s Ministry of Health claimed on the 24th that at least 70 people were killed in Magazi refugee camp and other areas due to IDF attacks in one day alone. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a speech to the nation that day, “War demands great costs, but we have no choice but to continue fighting.” He also mentioned his phone call with U.S. President Joe Biden and said, “I told (the U.S.) that we will fight until victory, even if it takes a long time.”
As the battle intensified, Bethlehem, known as the birthplace of Jesus Christ, was shrouded in mourning this Christmas, the New York Times reported. Catholic Pope Francis appealed for peace at the Christmas Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican on the 24th, saying, “Our hearts are in Bethlehem, where the Prince of Peace is once again rejected by the futile logic of war.”
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Source: Donga
Mark Jones is a world traveler and journalist for News Rebeat. With a curious mind and a love of adventure, Mark brings a unique perspective to the latest global events and provides in-depth and thought-provoking coverage of the world at large.