The Palestinian group Hamas says a proposed ceasefire deal with Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar, would begin with an initial six-week halt to fighting, during which more aid would be sent to the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas source told the AFP news agency that the three-phase cease-fire plan would initially begin with a six-week cessation of hostilities.
According to the source: ‘Only women, children and sick men will be released by Hamas during this phase in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.’
It added: ‘Negotiations on the withdrawal of Israeli forces and further prisoner exchanges will also be included.’
Hamas sources added that “the reconstruction of the destroyed areas of Gaza is also among the issues resolved by the agreement.”
Some concrete proposals for a ceasefire were agreed upon by Israel and the US in talks held in Paris last week.
A Palestinian official at the talks told Reuters that the proposed text of the agreement envisages a first phase of a 40-day ceasefire.
Under which Hamas will release the rest of the Israeli prisoners it still holds. In further stages, the bodies of Israeli soldiers and prisoners will be handed over.
There has been no formal response from Hamas to the deal proposal yet.
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On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has rejected the withdrawal of forces from Gaza and has repeatedly announced the destruction of the group in response to the October 7, 2023 Hamas operation.
Israel has announced that it will target the Rafah area near the Egyptian border to continue its war on Gaza after completely destroying northern and central Gaza.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant said on Thursday that its forces could advance to Rafah on the southern border of the Strip after a “success in the fight” against Palestinian militants in the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.
More than half of Gaza’s total population of 2.3 million people have taken refuge in this area, mainly in makeshift tents and public buildings where they are already exposed to severe cold and hunger.
Galant said in a statement: “We are completing our mission in Khan Yunis and we will also reach Rafah and eliminate the ‘terrorist’ elements, who are a threat to us.”
The Israeli Defense Minister’s statement came at a time when Hamas is hoping for a positive response to the new ceasefire agreement brokered by Qatar and Egypt.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Thursday that the number of confirmed Palestinian deaths in the Israeli offensive on Gaza since October 7 has exceeded 27,000, while thousands of people are buried under the rubble.
“Hamas is unlikely to reject the proposal outright but will demand guarantees that fighting will not resume, which Israel will never agree to,” a Palestinian official said.
There was brief euphoria in Gaza on Thursday after comments by Qatar’s spokesman and hopes of a ceasefire rose after crude oil prices fell.
Tahir al-Nunu, a media adviser to Qatari officials in Doha and Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh, said the group had not yet responded to the proposal.
Israeli attacks have turned to Rafah
Meanwhile, residents of Gaza said that Israeli forces shelled areas around Khan Yunis hospitals and intensified attacks near Rafah.
In recent days, shelling has also increased on the northern areas around Gaza City, which Israel claimed to have captured a week ago.
Osama Ahmed, 49, from Gaza City, said that there was fierce resistance in the city and continuous bombardment from the air, land and sea as Israeli tanks advanced.
He added: ‘We just want a ceasefire.’
According to hospital officials, 13 people were injured in an airstrike on a house in Khan Yunis on Thursday.
Appeals by Israel’s main ally, the United States, to ease the suffering of Gaza’s citizens have apparently failed, but Washington is increasing indirect pressure on Tel Aviv.
US President Joe Biden has issued an executive order, imposing sanctions on Jewish settlers who attack Palestinians in the occupied West Bank.
According to Arab News, Hamas leaders are expected to arrive in Cairo to discuss a proposed cease-fire in Gaza as Hamas reviews a proposed six-week ceasefire with Israel.
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2024-08-15 22:50:10