Israel is set to respond by the weekend to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal, which was formally endorsed by Hamas on Monday. The development has place prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu under pressure from all sides.
The ceasefire, drawn up by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, is almost identical to the framework put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.
It would see Hamas free about half of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages held in Gaza – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – in stages during an initial 60-day truce.
In return 200 Palestinians, along with women and minors, would be released from Israeli jails.
RM Block
During this period negotiations would take place on a permanent end to the war, which has dragged on for 22 months and has cost the lives of more than 62,000 people in Gaza.
The ceasefire proposal marks a return to the idea of a partial deal after Israel in recent weeks said it would only accept a single deal that brings back all the hostages in one go.
The Hamas decision to accept the ceasefire came after Israel approved plans earlier this month to occupy Gaza City and expel more than 800,000 residents from their homes. Netanyahu took credit for what appeared to be a softening in the Hamas position, claiming the militant group was under “atomic pressure”.
On Sunday hundreds of thousands of Israeli joined a one-day general strike calling for the return of the hostages and an end to the war. Families of the hostages urged Netanyahu to endorse the ceasefire without delay and call off the military assault on Gaza City. “The people will not allow the prime minister to torpedo yet another deal,” said the Hostages and Missing Families Forum in a statement.
Polls show a clear majority of Israelis support a ceasefire and the military has also voiced concerns over an escalation in the fighting.
But the far-right parties in Netanyahu’s coalition have made clear their opposition to a ceasefire. “You have no mandate to go for a partial deal,” far-right national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir said in a statement. “The blood of our soldiers is not worthless. We must go all the way. Destroy Hamas.”
Finance minister Bezalel Smotrich argued that Hamas has only eased its demands because it fears the planned Israeli offensive in Gaza City.
“Hamas understands that this will eliminate it and end the story,” he said. “Therefore, it is trying to stop it by bringing back the partial deal. This is exactly why we can’t surrender and grant the enemy a lifeline.”
As Netanyahu weighs Israel’s response to the ceasefire proposal he will be aware that if the two far-right parties quit the government he will be forced to call early elections.
