Hamas is positive about an American proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to the US, Israel agrees in broad terms with the plan for a sixty-day ceasefire. This seems to pave the way for a ceasefire.
The current proposal is based on the plan of the American envoy Steve Witkoff, which was already presented to the warring parties a few weeks ago. It mentioned a sixty-day ceasefire. During that period, Hamas would release ten surviving hostages in phases and hand over the bodies of eighteen deceased hostages.
An agreement on that proposal failed to materialize because Israel and Hamas were unwilling to compromise. Hamas continued to adhere to the demands for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza. Israel, in turn, adhered to its war plans: the extermination of Hamas, the return of the hostages, and the occupation of Gaza.
Under pressure from the Americans, the parties have finally compromised, Israeli media write. They are not directly concluding a definitive ceasefire for the time being. But reportedly, Israel and Hamas have promised not to attack each other while negotiations on such an agreement are ongoing, Channel 12 reports. The release of a number of hostages and the handover of bodies is still part of the proposal.
Hamas reports on Friday that it is positive about the American proposal, news agency Reuters reports. The group says it is ready to discuss how the proposal can be implemented.
It is not yet clear exactly when the ceasefire should take effect. The date of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to the United States, Monday, July 7, is mentioned as the start date.
Previous ceasefire did not hold
The war between Israel and Hamas has lasted for more than six hundred days. During that period, Israel and Hamas only agreed once on a temporary ceasefire in exchange for the release of hostages. That was at the beginning of this year.
That agreement should have ushered in the end of the war, but after an initial phase of six weeks, the parties could not agree on the continuation. In March, Israel resumed its massive attacks on Gaza and its military operations in the Palestinian Territories. In doing so, the country also stopped the supply of aid goods for a long time.
Israel has been allowing food and medical supplies again for several weeks, but especially the food aid via the new aid organization Gaza Humanitarian Foundation raises questions. The distribution of food has been chaotic so far. In various incidents at distribution points, more than six hundred people have already been killed and more than four thousand people have been injured.