Gaza War: Clear progress in Gaza ceasefire talks

According to both sides, there has been significant progress in talks about a ceasefire in the Gaza war and the release of the hostages held by Hamas. According to Israeli media reports, a three-stage plan has already been drawn up in the Qatari capital Doha. There are many signs of an impending breakthrough, but no official confirmation yet.

Hope for an early agreement

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a meeting with his Danish counterpart Lars Løkke Rasmussen that he had informed him of progress in indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas in Qatar. “Israel wants the hostages released very much and is working hard to reach a deal,” Saar said, according to his office. “We will know soon whether the other side also wants a deal. We hope to see progress in the near future.”

The indirect negotiations in Doha between Israel and the terrorist organization Hamas, in which Qatar, Egypt and the USA are also mediating, are, among other things, about the release of Palestinian prisoners in return for the hostages held by Hamas and about a withdrawal of Israeli troops .

Hamas circles also said there was “great progress” in the talks in Qatar. Efforts are being made to conclude the negotiations quickly. The most important hurdles have already been removed. An agreement is expected before the new US President Donald Trump takes office on January 20th.

Hamas prepares to release Palestinian prisoners

Against the background of reports of significant progress, the Islamist Hamas is already preparing for the possible release of Palestinian prisoners. “We renew our promise to our steadfast, patient people and to our heroic prisoners in prison, and affirm that their freedom will soon be achieved,” Hamas said.

As part of a ceasefire at the end of November 2023, Hamas released 105 hostages. In return, Israel released 240 Palestinian prisoners from prisons. The head of the prisoners’ association, Kadura Fares, told the Palestinian news agency Maan that a total of around 3,000 Palestinian prisoners were expected to be released as part of a new agreement.

Hamas circles said they were still waiting for Israel’s approval of the deal. The Israeli TV station N12, however, reported that they are currently waiting for Hamas’ reaction to the negotiations in Qatar.

Ceasefire plan in three phases

According to reports, the agreement that has now been drawn up is based on a ceasefire plan that US President Joe Biden presented in May last year. N12 reported that in a first phase, more than 30 “humanitarian cases” among the hostages should be released and only then should young men and soldiers be released. The third phase provides for the reconstruction of the largely destroyed Gaza Strip and an alternative government for the coastal strip. Hopes of a final agreement in the tough negotiations have so far been repeatedly dashed.

Israel’s Finance Minister Calls Potential Ceasefire Deal ‘Disaster’

The right-wing extremist Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich criticized the emerging ceasefire agreement as a “catastrophe for the national security of the State of Israel.” Smotrich wrote on Platform The agreement would also mean abandoning many hostages, he wrote.

“Now is the time to move forward with all our might, to conquer and cleanse the entire Gaza Strip, to finally wrest control of humanitarian aid from Hamas’ hands and to open the gates of hell in Gaza until Hamas’s complete surrender and Repatriation of all hostages,” Smotrich wrote.

Smotrich and the right-wing extremist Police Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir are pursuing highly controversial goals such as Israeli repopulation of the Gaza Strip. They have threatened Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the past with the collapse of the coalition if Israel implements the agreement supported by Biden.

Trump’s deputy threatens Hamas

US Vice President-elect JD Vance threatened Hamas with serious consequences if it did not reach a deal with Israel before the change of power in Washington. When asked what future President Trump meant when he announced that “all hell would break loose” in the Middle East if the Hamas hostages were not released by his inauguration, Vance listed several follow-up steps on Fox News: without being very specific. Among other things, it means “enabling the Israelis to eliminate the last battalions of Hamas and its leadership,” he said.

In the attack by Hamas and allied terrorists on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, around 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 others were abducted to the Gaza Strip. There are now 98 hostages still in the coastal area, although it is assumed that at least a third of them are already dead.