Report: Hamas could offer to halt arms in exchange for Israel ending Gaza war
The officials also said that the group could agree to temporarily exile a symbolic number of its officials in Gaza, if it leads to an end to Israel's war on Gaza.
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Middle East Eye
an hour ago
- Middle East Eye
Hamas says its holding consultations on Gaza truce proposal
Hamas has said it is holding consultations with other Palestinian groups on a proposed truce with Israel. "The movement is conducting consultations with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions regarding the proposal received... from the mediators," Hamas said in a statement early on Friday. Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the US have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli captives in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Hours earlier, Netanyahu vowed to bring home all Israeli captives held in Gaza. "I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them," Netanyahu said. Trump said on Thursday he wanted "safety for the people of Gaza". "They've gone through hell," he said. A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week there were no fundamental changes in the latest proposal compared to previous terms presented by the United States. The source said the proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip - thought to number 22 - in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees". Out of 251 captives taken by Palestinian groups during the 7 October 2023 surprise attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 whom the Israeli military says are dead.
Middle East Eye
2 hours ago
- Middle East Eye
Secret Trump letter would let Israel resume war despite ceasefire: Report
Israel is reportedly seeking written assurances from US President Donald Trump that it will be allowed to resume military operations in Gaza if its demands are not met, even as talks over a 60-day ceasefire continue. Citing a "member of the political echelon" - a phrase often used to signal deliberate leaks by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - Israel's Channel 14 reported on Wednesday that the current proposal includes a side letter from Trump. The document would give Israel the green light to "renew the fire if our demands with regards to the disarmament of Hamas and the exile of its leaders are not met". Israel would be able to interpret, define and make a judgment call on these terms. In March of this year, Israel broke the ceasefire agreement and resumed military operations. However, many analysts at the time noted that Tel Aviv did not want the negotiations to continue. The latest developments come despite claims of public optimism from both Israeli officials and Trump. New MEE newsletter: Jerusalem Dispatch Sign up to get the latest insights and analysis on Israel-Palestine, alongside Turkey Unpacked and other MEE newsletters On Tuesday, the US president said Israel had accepted the necessary terms for a 60-day ceasefire and that during this pause, the parties would "work on ending the war". "The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring peace, will deliver this final proposal," Trump said. But Israeli media reports suggest the talks remain fraught. Serious challenges persist behind the scenes, especially over what will happen after the truce. 'New Middle East' Israeli military reservist, Amit Yagur, formerly deputy head of Palestinian affairs in Israel's military, told the pro-Netanyahu Channel 14 that Trump's broader push for a 'new Middle East' was increasing pressure on regional actors - particularly Qatar, where many senior Hamas officials are based. Israel using starvation and aid to inflict genocide in Gaza: Amnesty Read More » "The focus must be on the new Middle East," Yagur said. "The new regional architecture being discussed creates pressure among all the players. Its power lies in shaping a new reality on the ground, including the deal and how far Hamas will agree." During a cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening, Netanyahu vowed that any deal would guarantee the destruction of Palestinian resistance. "[We] have to kill anyone who is holding a weapon," he said. Military analyst Amos Harel wrote in the Israeli daily Haaretz that Netanyahu may be staging the appearance of compromise for Washington, while signalling to Hamas that his core demands remain unchanged. "For Hamas, the most critical demand is ending the war," Harel wrote, adding the group wants US guarantees to prevent Israel from sabotaging any future phase of the deal. Netanyahu, he said, remains caught between striking a truce and maintaining support from his far-right coalition allies.
The National
3 hours ago
- The National
Hamas set to accept Gaza truce terms but seeks 'assurances'
Hamas has accepted a deal for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release, but is seekingassurances from mediators that some of its additional demands will be met, sources told The National on Friday. US President Donald Trump said earlier in the day that it would probably be known within 24 hours whether Hamas would agree to a 'final proposal' for a ceasefire. He said on Tuesday that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire agreement, during which the parties would work to end the conflict. The sources said Hamas would convey its acceptance of the proposed deal along with a request for assurances from US, Egyptian and Qatari mediators about the implementation of some of its 'unpublicised' clauses. These include the return by Israel of the bodies of some of the group's leaders killed during the Gaza war, including Yahya Sinwar and his brother Mohammed. They also cover the laying down and storing of the group's arms and the guaranteed return to Gaza of wounded Palestinians, who will be allowed under the deal to leave the strip for treatment abroad, the sources said. The clauses also include the creation of a 1km-deep safe zone on the Palestinian side of the entire Gaza-Israel border, which will be free of human habitation or any economic activity, including farming. According to these clauses, an unnamed Arab nation will supervise the storage of Hamas's weapons, and Israel will be prevented from excluding any area of Gaza from the distribution of badly needed humanitarian resistance. According to a two-page draft text obtained by The National on Friday, the proposed truce will last 60 days, during which Hamas will hand over in stages 10 living hostages and the remains of 18 others who died in captivity. This handover will start on the first day of the truce and end on the final day, according to the text. In return, Israel will release more than 1,000 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons, including scores serving long terms. On the 10th day of the truce, Hamas is expected to provide 'comprehensive information' on the remaining hostages. In return, Israel will provide information on Palestinians it has detained since October 7, 2023, the day the Gaza war began with an attack on southern Israel communities by Hamas and its allies. 'The [US] President is serious about the commitment of the parties to the ceasefire and insists that negotiations begin during the temporary ceasefire,' the draft text reads. 'If successful, the negotiations will lead to a lasting resolution of the conflict.' The deal also provides for the flow of sufficient humanitarian assistance into Gaza, distributed by groups to be agreed upon, including the UN and the Palestinian Red Crescent. It also provides for the two-stage deployment of Israeli forces away from proposed aid delivery routes in the south and north of Gaza, on the first and fifth day of the truce, following the release of eight living hostages and the remains of five others, respectively. Negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the release of the rest of the hostages will begin on the first day of the truce, according to the text. Final "redeployment" of Israeli forces in Gaza will be part of the negotiations. The mediators will ensure that the negotiations are serious and will be extended past the 60-day truce period if they do not produce a deal by then. 'The President will personally make the announcement of the ceasefire. The United States and President Trump are committed to working towards guaranteeing the continuation of the negotiations in goodwill until a final agreement is reached,' the text states. Hamas-led militants killed about 1,200 people and took about 240 hostage during their attack on southern Israel. About 50 hostages are still being held in Gaza, with fewer than half of them thought to be alive. The Hamas attack prompted a devastating military assault by Israel that has so far killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to health authorities in Gaza. The war has displaced the majority of the enclave's estimated two million population, with many having to flee more than once, and destroyed swathes of built-up areas. Mediators from Egypt, Qatar and the US have been trying in vain since March to broker a deal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages.
