Everything To Know About The Truce Proposal Hamas Agreed On And The Reactions (image@UNRWA)Hamas, the ruling political group of Gaza agreed with the Egyptian-Qatari truce proposal. The new proposal is expected to see an end to Israel’s brutal war on Gaza, the release of all the captives held by Hamas, and the release of all the Palestinians held captive in the Israeli prisons. However, Israel seemed less enthusiastic about the truce as it desire to attack Rafah, claiming to militarily defeat Hamas. Tel Aviv said it does not agree with the proposal but will engage in further talks to lock an agreement.
Palestinians in Gaza welcomed Hamas’ announcement to accept the truce proposal with celebrations as they desperately hope that the vile and unsparing war would finally come to an end after torturing them for nearly seven months and killing over 37,400 people.
The deal was put forward by Egypt and Qatar, who has been serving the mediator role since the war started. The truce proposal include three stages.
First Stage:
First stage will last for 42 days and will see a temporary cessation of all military operations between Hamas and Israel. The first stage will also see the withdrawal of Israeli forces away from the populated areas and towards a defined area along with border along Gaza including Wadi Gaza, known as the Netzarim Corridor, and Kuwait Roundabout.
All the Israeli airplanes and drones in the Strip shall stop for 10 hours a day and 12 hours during the days when the hostages on both sides are being exchanged. The internally displaced Palestinians shall return to their residence.
Hamas would release 33 captives (dead or alive) during the first stage. The captives will be women and anyone above the age of 50, sick, and those who are not soldiers and are under the age of 19. For each of the Israeli civilian captive released alive, Israel would release 30 Palestinians in Israeli prison. The Palestinians must released must be over the age of 50 and according to the list provided by Hamas. For each female Israeli soldier released, 50 Palestinians would be released.
The withdrawal of the Israeli forces would allow the displaced Palestinians to return to their places across Gaza. The process would occur gradually as Hamas releases the hostages. The deal also stipulates that the reconstruction works in Gaza should begin in this stage. Aid must also flow, and relief organisations like UNRWA should be allowed to work in helping the civilians. 600 truck of aid including 50 trucks of fuel should be allowed to enter Gaza in a day.
Not later than the 16th day of the first stage, both parties will start to engage in indirect talks regarding the details of the second stage.
Second Stage:
Second phase is also a 42-long period. It will see a permanent and sustainable calm, which means a permanent cessation of military and hostile operations, must be announced and take effect before the exchange of Israeli hostages under Hamas captive – all remaining Israeli men (soldiers and civilians) – in exchange of an agreed upon number of Palestinians that has been captivated by Israel and are in Israeli prison and detention camps. The stage will also see the complete withdraw of Israeli force from Gaza.
Third Stage:
This stage include the exchange of the bodies and remains of the dead of both sides after they were retrieved and identified. The plans for the reconstruction of Gaza over the span of three to five years are discussed in this stage. The reconstruction include homes, civilian facilities, infrastructure. Compensating all those effected by the war will also begin in this stage. It will be under the supervision of Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations. The third stage marks the complete end of the siege on Gaza.
The Reactions:
Israel: While the truce talks are still on the table, Israel told the Palestinians in eastern Rafah to evacuate Rafah as it prepares to launch military assault in the southern area of Gaza. As it appears like Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya has put it, the ball lies in Israel’s court. As per the initial report from the Israeli media, the proposal that Hamas has agreed to was not what Israel had been discussing.
At the same time, far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir immediately rejected the proposal through his social media post and called for Rafah invasion. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the deal fell short of Israel’s demands. He said he would send delegations to Egypt to meet the negotiators. He also added that Tel Aviv’s war cabinet unanimously agreed to “continue the operation in Rafah to exert military pressure on Hamas.
Gaza: Palestinians across the Gaza Strip immediately took to their streets to celebrate the information regarding potential truce. For them, the proposal would end seven months of harrowing torture they has been subjected to. Their beautiful Gaza has been decimated and was transformed into a grave yard.
However, while they try to remain optimistic, they know that the deal was only agreed to on one side and the war is going to end easily, as Israel continue to rain down bombs.
US: Though journalists repeatedly asked, US officials at the White House and the State Department refused to get into details of the issue. The State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said US would “withhold judgement” until the officials had time to fully review Hamas response. He refused to say whether Hamas has agreed to a US-approved offer or a different version of the proposal.