Photo: Palestinians surround a car that was hit by an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, Gaza Strip, Saturday, Jan. 20, 2024.AP Photo/Hatem Ali
A coalition of the U.S., Egypt and Qatar is pitching Israel and Hamas on a 90-day, phased process to free the remaining Gaza hostages and end the war, according to a new report.
People familiar with the ongoing efforts say both sides are willing to engage in talks again after they stalled at the end of the last cease-fire on Nov. 30, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Though neither side has agreed to the terms of the proposal, their “willingness to discuss the framework was a positive step,” one source familiar with the proceedings told the newspaper. “Mediators are now working to bridge the gap.”
The first phase of the proposed 90-day plan would pause the fighting so Hamas can release all Israeli civilians being held hostage. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, withdraw forces from Gaza, allow free movement in the region, stop surveillance with drones and double the amount of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.
During the second phase, Hamas would release female Israeli soldiers and give bodies back to Israel, which in turn would release more Palestinians.
The final stage would entail the release of the remaining Israel Defense Forces soldiers and men of fighting age that Hamas considers soldiers. Israel would also redeploy some of its troops outside the Gaza Strip border, Egyptian officials told the Journal.
The new proposal aims to make the release of Israelis held hostage by Hamas part of the deal to end hostilities. Officials in Israel have been making a push to halt fighting again for two weeks for more hostage-prisoner exchanges, but stopped short of discussing a permanent cease-fire, according to Egyptian officials who spoke with the Journal.
Hamas is looking to gain the most it can for the hostages, and is only willing to trade them for thousands of Palestinians being held captive and a permanent cease-fire.
“If we agree to this, then our warriors fell in vain,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement Sunday. “If we agree to this, we won’t be able to ensure the security of our citizens.”
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