Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu will depart on Sunday for Washington, where it is hoped that a meeting with US president Donald Trump will precipitate a Gaza ceasefire.
The New York Times reported on Thursday that a US ceasefire plan includes the release of 10 living hostages and the return of the remains of 18 dead hostages in five stages throughout an initial 60-day ceasefire. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian militants. This appears to represent a significant Israeli concession, as a previous American draft stipulated that 10 living hostages were to be released by the seventh day of the ceasefire. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.
The ceasefire agreement also calls for an increase in humanitarian aid entering the besieged enclave.
Hamas has reportedly agreed not to hold public propaganda ceremonies in which it parades hostages immediately before their release. It is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war’s end, a source close to the group said.
RM Block
Many details of the proposed ceasefire remain unknown, but the emerging deal will reportedly mean Israeli troops withdraw from almost the entire Gaza Strip.
Israeli officials said they would demand that troops remain deployed along the Morag corridor, north of the southern city of Rafah, during the ceasefire. The Morag corridor overlooks Rafah, and the strategically important Philadelphi Corridor, which runs along the Gaza-Egypt border.
Despite the optimism, significant gaps remain between the sides, particularly over Israel’s refusal to commit to a permanent end to the war and Hamas’s refusal to disarm and agree to the exile of its leaders.
Iran-US relations: What is behind the hostility between the two countries?
A senior Israeli official stated that positive signs have been received and that the United States is putting pressure on Qatar to use its influence with Hamas to persuade the militant group to respond affirmatively to the emerging outline.
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7th, 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians according to the Gaza health ministry, and displaced almost the entire 2.3 million population.
On Thursday, Mr Netanyahu visited kibbutz Nir Oz, the border community worst hit in the Hamas attack. One in four members of the kibbutz were either killed or kidnapped and most of the traumatised survivors have still not returned to their former home.
Some Nir Oz members, joined by anti-government activists, protested at the main entrance to the kibbutz while Mr Netanyahu arrived by a side entrance.
Reuma Kedem, who lost family members in the Hamas attack in Nir Oz, expressed outrage over the visit. “The blood of my daughter, son-in-law, and grandchildren is on your hands,” she wrote on X. “Don’t you dare, two years later, walk through the gates of this kibbutz. My dead family will not be used as PR props for your imaginary election campaign.”
Other Nir Oz members stressed the importance of Mr Netanyahu seeing the destruction first-hand and speaking with survivors.
