Hamas demands a lasting truce.
Israel and Hamas are working on a ceasefire deal to end the Gaza conflict. The tough topic? Determining when the violence ends.
During talks between Israel and the Islamic militant group Hamas over a Gaza war resolution, the starting point for an everlasting truce has turned into the primary issue. The Hamas has been pushing for a ceasefire right from the start, as detailed in a report from "The Times of Israel" quoting two officials. Israel's government, however, first wanted only a short-term ceasefire while more captives are freed.
Hamas is worried that Israel could recommence fighting after releasing some of the captives still in the Gaza Strip, according to the report. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has scoured that the war cannot come to an end for his government until they reach their objectives - such as dismantling Hamas' military strengths.
US President Joe Biden sketched out a three-stage plan for a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict back in late May. This proposal put forth a temporary truce and the liberation of female, elderly, and ailing Israeli captives. In return, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli captivity would be freed. The second phase would see a permanent cessation of fighting with the remaining captives liberated. In the last phase, the plan envisions the reconstruction of Gaza.
The UN Security Council has already given its approval to the plan and passed a resolution. Hamas has subsequently made amendment suggestions, but Israel has not definitively agreed to the US plan. A report from the Israeli television station Channel 13 suggests that Hamas is demanding that the reconstruction of Gaza commence during the first stage and that Israel cannot impede the selection of Palestinian prisoners to be freed. "This is the most drastic reaction the Hamas could have offered," remarked an Israeli official, as per the broadcaster. "Under these circumstances, it's tricky to start a negotiation."
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken described the Hamas' amendment proposals as partially impossible after a meeting with his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Wednesday. "Some of the modifications are attainable, some aren't," Blinken commented. Qatar aims to "narrow the gap" and drive Israel and the Hamas towards a truce, declared Al Thani. "We desire this stage to be as brief as possible." Qatar and the US are the intermediaries, as Israel and the Hamas are not engaging directly.
Recent captives freed from Hamas' clutches had been mistreated in Gaza in the preceding months. Andrey Kozlov's mother relayed her experience with Kan, Israel's TV channel, stating her son was imprisoned, secured in chains for two months, and smothered in various blankets in intense heat. One guard, too, was characterized as especially brutal. Kozlov could barely eat and underwent horrifying psychological abuse, his friend informed Channel 12. There are aspects of his ordeal that he might never relay to his mother.
While the World Health Organization (WHO) cautioned against a worsening humanitarian dilemma in the Gaza Strip due to a critical supply predicament. Many residents of the region are facing "disastrous hunger" and live in circumstances reminiscent of a famine, disclosed WHO Director Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Over 8,000 children under age 5 have manifested acute malnutrition. There is scant evidence of any enhancement, he stated: "Regardless of reports pertaining to enhanced food distribution, there's presently no evidence that the deprived populations are being suitably provided with food in sufficient amount and quality."
Read also:
- Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, expressed that some of Hamas' amendment proposals for the ceasefire plan are impossible to implement, while Qatar aims to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas to reach a truce.
- Concerned about potential renewed fighting after the release of captives in the Gaza Strip, Hamas has demanded that the reconstruction of the area begin during the first stage of the ceasefire, according to a report from Channel 13.
- The Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has stated that the war cannot end for his government until they achieve their objectives, such as dismantling Hamas' military capabilities, in the ongoing Israel-Gaza conflict.
