Hamas agrees to ceasefire proposal; Netanyahu says “far from meeting Israel’s demands” – National & International News – MON 6May2024

Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal that could “end hostile activity forever”. Netanyahu drags his feet, even as Israelis (especially hostage families) clamor for a deal. Rafah invasion appears imminent despite international pressure.

Hamas agrees to ceasefire proposal; Netanyahu says “far from meeting Israel’s demands”

Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh has approved a ceasefire proposal put together by Egypt and Qatar. While the full details of the proposal have not been officially made public, Al Jazeera (which has recently been banned in Israel) says it has obtained a copy of the text, which includes the following:

• Deal includes multiple phases, each lasting 42 days.
• 1st stage – Hamas releases remaining female Israeli soldiers still held hostage. In return, Israel would release 50 Palestinian prisoners (some serving life sentences) for each hostage.
• Gradual withdrawal of Israeli military from the Strip.
• Displaced Gazans allowed to return north.
• More aid to enter the Strip from first day.
• Develop plans for reconstruction of Gaza begins (estimated to last 3-5 years, which is optimistic).
• Temporary shelters brought in.
• Rehabilitation of infrastructure.
• Develop plans to compensate those affected.
• 2nd stage – Remaining living Hamas hostages released in return for yet-to-be-determined numbers of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
• A “sustainable long period of calm” and the full withdrawal of Israeli military from Gaza.
• 3rd stage – Exchange of remains of deceased hostages and deceased Palestinian prisoners whose remains are held by Israel.
• Complete lifting of the siege of Gaza. It’s unclear if this refers only to the intensified blockade Israel impose on October 8 last year, or the blockade Israel has imposed (illegally) on the Gaza Strip since 2007.
• Implement plans for reconstruction and compensation.

Perhaps most significantly of all, a Palestinian source says that if the truce conditions are met, Hamas has agreed to “end hostile activity forever”. Hamas officials stated recently (but not for the first time) that they would fully disarm if there was a sovereign Palestinian state. The document obtained by Al-Jazeera doesn’t contain any such language. However, it is possible Hamas sees this plan as a first step towards Palestinian statehood with renewed support from the international community. The Al-Jazeera document lists the guarantors of the agreement as Qatar, Egypt, the United Nations and the United States.

Netanyahu drags his feet on a deal

It’s possible that Israel is viewing the deal similarly, since the US has long officially supported a viable Palestinian state. However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has wholly rejected any possibility of accepting a Palestinian state. An anonymous Israeli official told Reuters that the deal included “far-reaching” conclusions that Israel could not accept. The official slammed the proposal as “a ruse intended to make Israel look like the side refusing a deal”. 

“Ruse” or not, a growing contingent of the Israeli public (and especially hostage families) do perceive their leaders as the main obstacle to a ceasefire. For months, huge protests in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv have demanded that Netanyahu’s government reach a deal with Hamas that will secure the release of hostages.

Israel had not previously bothered to send a delegation to Cairo for the most recent round of talks that led to the deal under consideration. This, unfortunately, is a likely indication of a lack of will on Netanyahu’s part to reach any deal that will end hostilities. Nevertheless, now that Hamas has agreed to a deal, Israel is now sending a delegation to Cairo. One prominent group of hostage families has delivered a message to the delegation: “Don’t return without a deal“.

Interestingly, CIA Director William Burns did travel to Cairo as talks were underway, suggesting that the US played a significant role in putting together the deal that Hamas agreed to. Despite the document viewed by Al-Jazeera listing the US as a guarantor of the proposal, the US says it is still reviewing the agreement.

Rafah invasion appears imminent

Some family members of hostages have also expressed misgivings about Israel’s military incursion into Rafah, which seems to be underway as we speak. Gil Dickman, whose cousins were taken hostage on Oct. 7, says an invasion will “risk the lives not only of innocent people, not only of soldiers but also of some hostages” believed to be held in Rafah.

Last week, Netanyahu said that the invasion would happen, regardless of any deal. For the last two weeks, Israel has been bombing homes in Rafah, killing upwards of two dozen people each day – nearly all civilians, mostly children. This morning, Israel warned Gazans sheltering in eastern Rafah to evacuate north. As families flee, Israel has intensified bombing in the area, even after Hamas announced its acceptance of a ceasefire.

President Biden has been on the phone with Netanyahu, apparently trying to discourage an all-out invasion. There are currently more than 1 million displaced Gazans sheltering in Rafah, the majority of them in makeshift encampments. 

Israel has been under massive international pressure from its allies the US, France, Jordan, Egypt and certain figures in EU leadership to call off its plans for an invasion of Rafah.

Those same powers seem to be throwing their support behind a ceasefire with more vigor than has been apparent in previous rounds of talks, all of which have fallen apart. It remains to be seen whether this time will be any different.