Hamas’s announcement that it accepts a ceasefire proposal came after weeks of talks brokered by Egypt and Qatar that showed signs of going nowhere, the BBC reports. The negotiations were difficult, indirectly involving not only Hamas and Israel, but also the US, Qatar and Egypt. At the moment the text of the agreement has not been made public, but some officials have spoken about the provisions mentioned in the agreement.
Israeli tanks in Gaza Photo: AA/ABACA / Abaca Press / Profimedia
At this point, it is not clear exactly what the deal agreed to by Hamas calls for, but in recent days several unconfirmed reports have spoken of a phased deal that would lead to the release of dozens of Israeli hostages in exchange for a much larger number of prisoners Palestinians arrested by Israel.
Hamas has campaigned for a complete end to the war, but Israel has made it clear that this is something it cannot accept because it would allow Hamas to survive.
A Hamas official, Taher al-Nono, said the deal accepted by the group included a ceasefire, the reconstruction of Gaza, the return of displaced persons and a prisoner exchange, according to Reuters. He did not mention anything about the release of the hostages who are being held in Gaza and which should have been part of the ceasefire proposal.
Three-phase deal
The accepted proposal is a three-phase deal, each lasting 42 days, the deputy head of Gaza’s ruling group told Al Jazeera on Monday. Khalil Al-Hayya explained that the first phase provided for the return of displaced Palestinians from Gaza to their homes and allowed a flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
He added that 50 Palestinian prisoners would be released for every female captive held by Hamas in Gaza in the first phase. In the second phase, Hamas will release male prisoners for an undetermined number of Palestinian prisoners.
The third phase of the agreement will include the start of implementation of a reconstruction plan over a period of three to five years.
Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian spoke with the head of the Hamas Political Bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, and welcomed the agreement reached. “We sent the response of Hamas to the plan proposed by Egypt and Qatar to stop the attacks of the Israeli regime, to exchange prisoners, to lift the human blockade. Now the ball is in the opponent’s court. We are honest in our intentions.”
Israel rejected the deal
An Israeli official said Hamas had approved a “softened” Egyptian proposal that was not acceptable to Israel. “This would appear to be a ploy to make Israel look like the party refusing a deal,” said the Israeli official, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity.
An Israeli military spokesman said Israel would continue to act in an “operational manner” in the Gaza Strip, despite Hamas announcing it had accepted a Gaza ceasefire, according to The Guardian.
Asked if the cease-fire notice changes anything, Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari said Israel is “exploring every thing we hear,” referring to the cease-fire agreement.
Hagari added that Israeli officials are “examining every response in the most serious way and exhausting every possibility in terms of negotiations and the return of the hostages,” during a news conference.
But Hagari said Israel will continue to act in an operational manner as Israel has the right to defend itself.
“We are exploring every thing that we hear and we are exhausting the potential of negotiations to bring back the hostages and that is our main mission, to bring them home as quickly as possible, but in parallel, we continue to act in an operational manner in the Gaza Strip and we will continue to do so,” Hagari said.
Hamas’s announcement of a deal came hours after Israel ordered the evacuation of parts of Rafah, the southern Gaza city that served as the last sanctuary for about half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents. Israel says the city serves as a Hamas base where Israeli hostages may be held, and their operation will not be complete until they clear Hamas fighters from the city
