More than 20,000 people have died in the current round of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, but the ceasefire talks have reached an impasse. According to a report by the Times of Israel on December 24, Egypt recently proposed a new ceasefire plan, proposing to end hostilities in the Gaza Strip in three phases and release all detainees. Israeli officials revealed that the Israeli government has not completely rejected the plan and may move forward with negotiations.
Earlier, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) stressed that the Palestinian resistance factions have decided that they will not discuss an agreement with Israel on the exchange of detainees until the conflict in the Gaza Strip has fully ceased. Al Jazeera said that a Palestinian Islamic Jihad (Jihad) official also reiterated on the 24th that the process of exchanging detainees will only be started after a ceasefire is ensured.
Hamas Politburo leader Ismail Haniyeh made a four-day visit to Cairo, Egypt's capital, last week to discuss a ceasefire plan with Egyptian officials, according to The Times of Israel. According to a source involved in the meeting, Egypt proposed in the initiative to end the conflict in three stages.
On December 20, Haniyeh, the leader of the Hamas Politburo, spoke to the media in Doha, Qatar Source: The Paper
According to sources, the first phase of Egypt's plan is a two-week ceasefire, which can be extended to three to four weeks in exchange for the release of 40 detainees by Hamas. In exchange, Israel needs to release 120 Palestinian prisoners. During this period, Israeli tanks will be withdrawn from the Gaza Strip and humanitarian aid will be allowed to enter Gaza.
The second phase of the ceasefire package is a "Palestinian national dialogue" initiated by Egypt, which aims to bridge the divide between Palestinian political factions and seek to form a technocratic government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. This Government will oversee the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip and pave the way for Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections.
The third phase of the package is a comprehensive ceasefire for Hamas to release the remaining detainees, including Israeli soldiers, in exchange for Israel's release of prisoners associated with Hamas and Jihad, the exact number of which is subject to further agreement. During this phase, Israel will withdraw its forces from the Gaza Strip and allow the Palestinian population to return to northern Gaza.
On December 19, thick smoke billowed over the northern Gaza Strip Source: Surging Images
According to the report, Haniyeh has returned to his residence in Qatar on the 23rd local time to discuss Egypt's proposal with Hamas Politburo officials. Jihad's delegation arrived in Cairo on the 24th local time to hold talks with Egyptian officials. Several Israeli officials confirmed to the media that the Israeli government had not rejected the plan outright and that negotiations might move forward.
The Times of Israel mentions that David Barneya, the head of Israel's intelligence agency Mossad, has held two meetings with senior U.S. and Qatari officials, and that he has been allowed to discuss the release of Palestinian security prisoners, including some of those involved in attacks on Israel.
Israel's government is also considering another option, seeking to deport Hamas leaders such as Yahya Sinwar and Mohammed Dave to Qatar or other countries as part of a solution to end the conflict and release the detainees, Israeli Public Broadcaster (KAN) reported, citing several sources.
The sources said that the Israeli security and political leadership had been discussing the option but had not yet made any concrete proposals. They stressed that no plan can affect Israel's goal of "destroying the leadership and military power of Hamas" and that "the expulsion of Hamas leaders abroad is not contrary to the goals of the war." ”
However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insisted in a video address on the evening of the 24th that Israel would not stop attacking the Gaza Strip until "Hamas is destroyed". He claimed that the three main objectives of the Israeli army's operations are to destroy Hamas, overthrow the Hamas-led government in Gaza and free all detainees, "We will continue to fight until we completely defeat Hamas." ”
On December 24, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presided over a cabinet meeting Source: The Paper
Earlier, Hamas stressed that factions of the Palestinian resistance have decided that they will not discuss an agreement with Israel on the exchange of detainees until the conflict in the Gaza Strip is fully stopped. According to Al Jazeera, a Jihad official also reiterated on the 24th that the process of exchanging detainees will only be started after a ceasefire is ensured.
More than 20,000 people have died in the conflict, which has lasted more than two and a half months. The Gaza health department said on the 24th that since October 7, 20,424 people have died in the conflict in the Gaza Strip, most of them women and children, and at least 54,036 others have been injured. According to previous figures from the Israeli government, about 1,200 people died on the Israeli side.
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