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L'Orient-Le Jour
a day ago
- Politics
- L'Orient-Le Jour
Gaza cease-fire proposal agreed by Hamas 'almost identical' to Witkoff's plan
The latest Gaza cease-fire proposal agreed by Hamas is "almost identical" to an earlier plan put forward by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday. Meanwhile, mediators are awaiting an Israeli response to the latest truce plan, which Hamas accepted on Monday. Israel and Hamas have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces and the releases of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. But following Israel's unilateral decision to resume the war, efforts have repeatedly failed to broker a lasting cease-fire The efforts have been mediated by Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, with frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy aiming to break the deadlock. Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court." According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet al-Qahera, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan but said last week that his country would accept "an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war." Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past." Hamas's acceptance of the proposal comes as Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war. On Sunday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to call for the end of the war and a deal to free the remaining hostages still being held captive. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The new proposal also comes after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir — who has staunchly opposed ending the war — slammed the plan, warning of a "tragedy" if Netanyahu "gives in to Hamas/" 'Unbearable' Gaza's civil defense agency reported that 27 people were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes and fire across the territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighborhoods of Gaza City, where he said "artillery shelling continues intermittently." The Israeli military declined to comment on specific troop movements, saying only that it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and took "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm." Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. Sabra resident Hussein al-Dairi, 44, said "tanks are firing shells and mortars, and drones are firing bullets and missiles" in the neighbourhood. "We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians," he added. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed more than 62,004 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Health Ministry in Gaza.
The Guardian
12-02-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Arab mediators scramble to save Gaza ceasefire as Israel bolsters troop numbers
Arab mediators are scrambling to save the Gaza ceasefire as the Israeli military bolsters troop and tank deployments to the strip's periphery ahead in advance of the possibility the truce breaks down this weekend. A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Wednesday to 'discuss ways to end the current crisis', the Palestinian militant group said. Meanwhile, Egyptian and Qatari mediators were working 'intensively' to compel Israel to address Hamas's new demands ahead of Saturday's scheduled release of three Israeli hostages, Egypt's state-run al-Qahera television reported. Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Merdawi said there were 'positive signals' that the hostage handover would go ahead as planned, but added it had 'yet to receive Israel's commitment to implement the full terms of the deal, especially the humanitarian protocol.' There was no immediate comment from Israeli authorities. The future of the three-week-old ceasefire agreement was thrown into jeopardy on Monday when Hamas's armed wing announced it would postpone freeing the next group of captives. It citied alleged Israeli violations of the truce, including the continued killing of Palestinians, blocks on aid, including tents, and delays in allowing displaced people to return to the north of the strip. It said it had announced its stance early in order to give mediators enough time to pressure Israel to 'comply and compensate for the past weeks' before the scheduled weekend handover. Israel denies the Hamas allegations, but claimed responsibility for an airstrike in the Rafah area on Wednesday that killed two people who the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said were flying a drone. The surprise announcement by the US president, Donald Trump, last week that the US would take over and 'develop' the Gaza Strip appeared to be central to the group's decision, although it did not directly mention it in its statement. Hamas reportedly no longer believes Washington's guarantees for the ceasefire will hold and it does not think Israel is serious about implementation. The crisis, however, escalated sharply after Trump responded to Hamas's delay by threatening 'hell is going to break out' unless it released all of the Israeli hostages it was holding on Saturday. After a lengthy cabinet meeting on Tuesday, Israel's prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, appeared to be keeping the option to continue the ceasefire open and a statement from his office did not explicitly back Trump's call for 'all' 76 of the remaining hostages to be freed this weekend. His defence minister, Israel Katz, echoed the deliberately ambiguous language on Wednesday, saying: 'If Hamas does not release the Israeli hostages by Shabbat, the gates of hell will open on them, just as the US president promised. The new Gaza war will be different in intensity from the one before the ceasefire – and will not end without the defeat of Hamas and the release of all the hostages.' Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem said on Wednesday that Israel was 'evading implementation of several provisions of the ceasefire agreement' and reiterated the group's stance that hostages could only be released through diplomatic means. 'Our position is clear, and we will not accept the language of American and Israeli threats,' he said. Talks on the second stage of the ceasefire, which is supposed to begin in early March, were due to start last week, but an Israeli team Netanyahu sent to Qatar lacked a mandate to discuss matters not related to stage one, and returned on Sunday night. Egyptian and Qatari mediators are now trying to persuade Israel to meet the demands Hamas made on Monday, including 'implementing the humanitarian protocol … and beginning negotiations for the second phase', a Palestinian diplomatic source told Agence-France Presse. The head of the UN, António Guterres, has urged Hamas to proceed with the planned release and 'avoid at all costs resumption of hostilities in Gaza'. The first stage of the truce, in which Israeli captives are released in batches in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli custody, has come under increasing strain as both sides accuse the other of violations. Last week's release of three emaciated hostages sparked anger in Israel and beyond. The Gaza health ministry says Israeli fire has killed at least 92 Palestinians and wounded more than 800 others since the fragile ceasefire took hold on 19 January. The IDF says it has fired on people who approach its forces or enter certain areas in alleged violation of the truce. Trump has doubled down on his proposal to build a 'riviera of the Middle East' in Gaza and to relocate its population of 2.3 million people to Egypt and Jordan, a plan international law experts say amounts to ethnic cleansing. The Arab world has flatly rejected the idea, which could destabilise the region and put Israel's peace treaties with Egypt and Jordan at risk. Jordan's King Abdullah met with Trump at the White House on Tuesday, saying in social media posts he 'reiterated Jordan's steadfast position against the displacement of Palestinians'. Egypt said on Wednesday that it planned to present an alternative vision backed by Arab states for reconstruction of the Palestinian territory that will ensure Gaza's residents remain on their land. The ceasefire halted 15 months of fighting in the strip, during which about 48,000 Palestinians, sparked a devastating humanitarian crisis, and reduced the occupied territory to ruins. The war was triggered by Hamas's 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, in which about 1,200 were killed and another 250 taken hostage.
