The Hamas armed organization has stated that it has accepted the new Gaza ceasefire agreement mediated by Egypt and Qatar. However, Israel stated that it has put forward a counter-proposal after "full coordination" with the third mediator, the United States. The statements from both sides indicate that efforts to end the Gaza conflict are still underway, but the specific details and prospects remain unclear. This diplomatic back-and-forth highlights the complexities of achieving a lasting resolution.
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04-01, 2025Previously, Israel's sudden resumption of fighting led to the ceasefire agreement falling into difficulty. Egypt put forward a plan earlier this week aimed at getting the ceasefire back on track. It is currently unclear whether the plan changed before Hamas's leader in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya, announced its acceptance. This series of diplomatic activities aims to ease tensions and create conditions for achieving lasting peace. The international community hopes these efforts will pave the way for de-escalation.
According to an Egyptian official who asked not to be named, under the proposal, Hamas would release five living hostages, including an American-Israeli dual national, in exchange for Israel allowing aid to enter the Gaza Strip and suspending fighting for several weeks. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. The official said he requested anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media on the closed-door talks. Such intricate details underscore the delicate nature of the negotiations.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said on Saturday that Israel had put forward a counter-proposal after consultations held by Netanyahu on Friday, but did not provide specific details. A week and a half earlier, Israel ended its ceasefire agreement with Hamas and suddenly launched a series of attacks, causing hundreds of deaths. The White House blamed Hamas for the renewed fighting. Israel has vowed to escalate the war until Hamas returns the remaining 59 hostages - 24 of whom are believed to be alive. Israel also wants Hamas to relinquish power, disarm, and exile its leaders.
On Saturday, Israel expanded its ground operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, which is close to the border with Egypt. Hamas said it would only release the remaining captives if Israel released Palestinian prisoners, achieved a lasting ceasefire, and withdrew from Gaza. Frustrated by the threat to the remaining hostages in Gaza, family members and others gathered again on Saturday evening, calling for an agreement that would bring everyone home. In Tel Aviv, some protesters chanted, "The price of your war is the lives of the hostages!" and had minor clashes with police. Nama Weinberg, the cousin of the late hostage Itai Swirsky, said at the family's weekly gathering in Tel Aviv: "The war will not bring our hostages home, it will only kill them."
This Gaza war was triggered by an attack launched by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023, in which Palestinian militants killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped 251. According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed more than 50,000 people, but the ministry did not say how many of them were civilians or combatants. (Associated Press)
