Gaza cease-fire hopes rise as Israel says it will resume stalled negotiations
A potential cease-fire and hostage release deal in Gaza took a crucial step Friday after Hamas revised a proposal on terms of an agreement — and Israel pledged to restart long-delayed discussions following nearly nine months of war.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu dispatched his intelligence chief to Qatar to restart the negotiations earlier Friday — a day after informing President Biden of his intent to do so.
After weeks of stalling, a source in Israel’s negotiating team said officials were now optimistic there was a real chance of pinning down a cease-fire agreement in the war that began Oct. 7 after Hamas attacked Israel.
Hamas, on its part, said it had handed over proposed amendments to its deal to the mediators — Egypt and Qatar – earlier this week.
Those amendments had already been “met with a positive response by the mediators,” a Hamas spokesperson insisted Friday, adding, though, that “the official Israeli position has not yet become clear.”
“The date of the negotiations has not yet been set and this depends on the response of (Israel),” spokesperson Jihad Taha said.
Hamas told Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the leader of its Lebanese ally Hezbollah, that it agreed to the cease-fire and hostage-release plan. The Iran-backed terror group, which has also been at war with Israel in unison with the Gaza conflict, backed the move, two sources told Reuters Friday.
Hamas has been pushing for a deal that ensures Israeli troops fully back out of Gaza and that the war ends, while Israel has said it cannot halt the war before Hamas is eliminated.
A Palestinian official close to the mediated efforts said the latest proposal put forward by Hamas could potentially lead to an agreement if embraced by Israel.
He said Hamas is no longer demanding that Israel commit to a permanent cease-fire before the signing of an agreement and, instead, would allow negotiations to achieve that during an initial six-week phase.
“Should the sides need more time to seal an agreement on a permanent ceasefire, the two sides should agree there would be no return to the fighting until they do that,” the Palestinian official told Reuters.
A senior US official acknowledged Thursday that Hamas had made a significant adjustment in its position over a potential hostage release deal — expressing optimism that it would lead to a potential pact.
US officials have previously said the current proposal’s first phase would see a “full and complete cease-fire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of several hostages, including women, older people and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The parties would negotiate the terms of the second phase when the initial phase was underway.
Under the current proposal, Hamas could release all of the remaining men — both civilians and soldiers — in phase two.
In exchange, Israel could free an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. The releases wouldn’t occur until “sustainable calm” takes effect and all Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.
The third phase would see the return of the remains of hostages.
Meanwhile, the Israeli delegation dispatched to Qatar, led by spy chief David Barnea, left the country later Friday after meeting with the mediators, a source told Reuters.
Barnea had already returned to Israel to consult with the Israeli government on the deal, the source added.
With Post wires
