War Cabinet approves new negotiation terms and delivers them to Qatar and Egypt
This official said, “I am cautiously optimistic about progress in negotiations in the near future.”
It’s not a complete end to the war, but U.S. officials say it’s the only way to bring about an end to the war.
US Internet media outlet AXIOS reported on the 22nd (local time) that Israel presented Qatar and Egypt, the war mediators, with a proposal to suspend the war in Gaza for two months in exchange for the release of all hostages.
Axios reported that Israel’s proposal is not a complete halt to the war, but is drawing attention because it refers to the longest cease-fire since the outbreak of the war.
There are still more than 130 hostages held in Gaza, and Israeli officials say many of them may be dead.
Brett McGurk, the US President’s special envoy for the Middle East, who is seeking progress in negotiations for the release of hostages, visited Egypt on the 21st and is scheduled to travel to Qatar soon. Mediators in the Qatari and Egyptian negotiations have been trying to narrow differences between Israel and Hamas for weeks.
U.S. officials said that a deal on the release of hostages could be the only way to end the war in Gaza.
Israel’s war cabinet approved the terms of a new hostage deal advanced 10 days ago, according to two Israeli officials.
Israeli officials said they were waiting for a response from Hamas and were cautiously optimistic that negotiations would progress in the coming days.
The new proposal calls for Hamas to release all hostages in multiple installments and return the bodies of dead hostages.
First, it includes releasing women, men over 60, and hostages with serious illnesses, followed by female soldiers, non-soldiers under 60, male Israeli soldiers, and hostage bodies.
Israeli officials said that Israel proposed that the above hostage release steps would be followed by a ceasefire, but that it would take two months for all steps to proceed.
According to this proposal, Israel and Hamas must agree in advance on how many Palestinian detainees Israel will release at each stage and who will be released.
Israel’s proposal also includes moving some Israeli troops and allowing Gaza residents to return to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, including Gaza City.
Israeli officials said it also included a clear statement that Israel would not end the war and that Israel would not release all 6,000 Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli officials, however, said they were prepared to release many Palestinian prisoners if Hamas accepted this offer.
Israeli officials acknowledged that if the proposal is concluded and implemented, Israeli military forces in the Gaza Strip could be significantly reduced and the intensity of fighting could be significantly weakened.
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.