Peace negotiations in the bloody conflict between Israel and Hamas are stalling. Now there is a new proposal, but Netanyahu is standing in the way. The situation remains deadlocked.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejected Hamas’s proposal for a cease-fire and hostage exchange and instead approved plans for a military operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, according to his office. In addition to operational operations, the army is preparing to evacuate the civilian population, the statement said.
Hamas had previously presented a new proposal that included, among other things, an end to the fighting in the Gaza Strip, aid deliveries to the population and the release of people kidnapped from Israel in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons. According to Hamas, the process will take place in three phases, each lasting 42 days. In the second phase, a permanent ceasefire should also be announced – before Israeli soldiers are released.
As a Hamas official told AFP on Friday, under such an agreement, 42 Israeli hostages – women, children, the elderly and the sick – could be exchanged for 20 to 50 Palestinian prisoners each.
Netanyahu wants to go on the offensive – there is international headwind
Netanyahu then reiterated his assessment that a proposal from the Islamist Palestinian organization Hamas for a ceasefire in the Gaza war was “unrealistic” and reiterated his support for an offensive in Rafah.
Top international politicians, including Chancellor Olaf Scholz, strictly reject an operation in Rafah out of concern for the well-being of the civilian population. Politicians and aid organizations are demanding plans from Israel as to how and where the approximately 1.5 million people from the Rafah region will be brought to safety before a military operation.
No agreement in sight between Israel and Hamas
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by the brutal attack on Israel by the Islamist Hamas on October 7th, in which, according to Israeli information, around 1,160 people were killed and around 250 others were kidnapped as hostages in the Gaza Strip. Dozens of hostages had already been released during an earlier ceasefire. According to information from Israel, there are still 130 hostages believed to be in the Gaza Strip, 32 of whom are said to be dead.
Since the Hamas attack, Israel has taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, at least 31,490 people have been killed so far.
Previously, Hamas had called for a permanent ceasefire before any hostage release. According to the information, Hamas is demanding that the ceasefire then lead to a “complete (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a permanent ceasefire.”
Most recently it was said that an Israeli delegation would travel to Doha after a security cabinet debate on the Israeli position. For months, Qatar has been prominently involved in negotiations for a further ceasefire and the release of more hostages from Hamas in return for Palestinian prisoners. In recent weeks, however, talks have been unsuccessful. Qatar recently announced a few days ago that Israel and Hamas were still far from reaching an agreement.
Source: Stern
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