According to a Palestinian Arab official, the mediators proposed a deal that would include, among other things, a 5-7-year ceasefire and the release of all hostages.
Release of hostagesFLASH90, Abed Rahim Khatib
Qatar and Egypt have proposed a new deal to end the war in Gaza and free the hostages, the BBC reported on Tuesday, citing a senior Palestinian Arab official familiar with the negotiations.
According to the report, the mediators are proposing a five-to-seven-year halt to hostilities, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian Arab prisoners held in Israeli jails, a formal end to the war, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The Arab official told the BBC that Hamas has indicated that it is prepared to concede governance of Gaza to “any Palestinian entity agreed upon at the national and regional level”. He noted this could be the Judea and Samaria-based Palestinian Authority (PA) or a new administrative body.
The official called the current mediation effort “serious” and said the terror organization had shown “unprecedented flexibility”.
Last week, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal for a deal, which included a demand for Hamas to disarm in return for a six-week truce.
Khalil al-Hayya, who oversees the negotiations on behalf of the terror organization, claimed that “Netanyahu set impossible conditions for a deal that does not lead to the end of the war or full withdrawal. He and his government violated the agreement before its first phase ended.
“We are prepared to immediately hold true negotiations for the release of the captives that we hold in return for an agreed-upon number of prisoners being held by the occupation. The occupation in return must totally stop the war and totally withdraw from the Gaza Strip,” he demanded.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed Hamas’s demands in an address to the nation on Saturday: “If we accept their conditions, it means they can defeat Israel,” he warned. “If we give in to Hamas’ dictates now, all of our enormous achievements that we have achieved thanks to our soldiers, our fallen, and our injured – all of those achievements will be lost.”
“If we commit to not fighting, we will not be able to return to fighting in Gaza,” Netanyahu stressed. “Because those agreements include the complete withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza. Were our soldiers killed and injured in vain? Hamas is seeking guarantees that we will not resume fighting – they are not stupid.”
“I am working to bring back our hostages without bowing to Hamas’ dictates.”
Content retrieved from: https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/407188.
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