Ceasefire instead of Rafah deployment?
Hamas “very interested” in deal with Israel
April 28, 2024, 4:39 p.m
Negotiations between Hamas and Israel over the release of hostages have been going on for months. Now there is cautious hope: the Islamists are announcing their response to a proposal for Monday. The Israeli government appears to be ready for talks about ending the war for the first time.
There has been movement in the negotiations for a ceasefire and the release of the hostages in the war between Israel and Hamas. A senior official from the Palestinian Islamist organization said a delegation would deliver its response to a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Egypt on Monday. According to a media report, Israel commented for the first time on possible talks about an end to the war.
Hamas said its response to the Israeli proposal would be delivered by negotiators at a meeting with Egyptian intelligence officials. The delegation is led by the number two of Hamas’ political wing in the Gaza Strip, Chalil al-Hayya. Another Hamas official familiar with the negotiations said the organization was “open to a positive discussion on the new proposal.” Hamas is “very interested” in reaching an agreement that guarantees a “permanent ceasefire,” the “free return of the displaced,” as well as an “acceptable agreement” for the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners and an end to Israeli military operations.
A delegation from the mediating state of Egypt visited Israel on Saturday. According to Israeli estimates, there are still 129 hostages held by Palestinian organizations in the Gaza Strip, and the military estimates that 34 are dead. Negotiations regarding a ceasefire and the release of hostages have been ongoing for months. As part of the only agreement so far between Israel and Hamas brokered by the USA, Qatar and Egypt, around a hundred hostages were released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during a week-long ceasefire at the end of November.
Israel brings “sustainable restoration of calm” into discussion
Hamas released another video on Saturday showing two hostages. According to the hostage families forum, these are Omri Miran and Keith Siegel. In the video, both appear to speak under duress and call on the Israeli government to reach an agreement with Hamas to release the hostages. A sticking point in the negotiations so far was that the Islamist Palestinian organization had called for, among other things, a “permanent ceasefire” two weeks ago, which Israel rejects.
As the US news portal “Axios” reported, Israel’s latest proposal to Hamas, according to two Israeli government representatives, also includes a willingness to discuss the “sustainable restoration of calm” in the Gaza Strip. According to the report, it is the first time that Israeli government officials have floated possible talks to end the war.
Meanwhile, at a special meeting of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Saudi Arabia, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas called on the US to deter Israel from a ground offensive in the southern Gaza town of Rafah. The US is “the only country that can stop Israel from committing this crime,” said Abbas.
Israeli Air Force attacks targets in southern Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly announced a large-scale ground offensive in Rafah in the south of the Gaza Strip in recent months – despite international protests against the plans. More than 1.5 million residents of the northern Gaza Strip have fled to the city near the Egyptian border in recent months. According to the Israeli government, there are still four Hamas battalions there.
At the weekend, the Israeli Air Force again attacked several targets in the south of the Gaza Strip. As an AFP reporter reported, targets in Khan Yunis, Gaza and Rafah were shelled with fighter jets and artillery. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health in the Gaza Strip, 66 people died. The Israeli military spoke of airstrikes on dozens of “terrorist targets”, including launch pads, “armed terrorists” and observation posts. The navy also fired on Hamas targets.
Hamas, classified as a terrorist organization by the EU and the USA, and other militant Palestinian groups invaded Israeli towns on October 7 last year and committed atrocities against civilians. According to Israeli information, the Islamist fighters killed around 1,170 people and kidnapped around 250 people as hostages to the Gaza Strip.
In response to the attack, Israel has since taken massive military action in the Gaza Strip, with the declared aim of destroying Hamas. According to the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, 34,454 people have been killed so far.