U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff has presented a new 60-day ceasefire proposal to Hamas, guaranteed by Egypt and Qatar, that would include the release of 10 living and 18 dead hostage bodies. In exchange, Israel would release 1,236 Palestinians and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
Details of the deal have not been confirmed, but it would reportedly include a resumption of aid to Gaza through the UN and other NGOs and an Israeli pledge to "gradually redeploy" according to Reuters.
The Israeli response "fundamentally seeks to entrench the occupation and perpetuate policies of killing and starvation, even during what is supposed to be a period of temporary de-escalation," claims Hamas official Basem Naim.
“We do believe that it has some significant promise,” State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce told reporters. “There is some optimism.”
Israel is insisting that Hamas disarm completely, be dismantled as a military and governing force, and return all 58 remaining hostages. Hamas says it will never give up its weapons and demands that Israel pull all of its troops out of Gaza and commit to ending the war.
Neither negotiating position is realistic, but then, these proposals are part of the public negotiations being carried out in the world media. The real talks are taking place with mediators and go-betweens who also have their own agendas.
The reason for optimism is that the U.S. is now engaging directly with Hamas. Hamas may see Donald Trump as more of an honest broker than Egypt and Qatar, and he still has credibility with Israel. A ceasefire is still a long shot.
Witkoff expressed optimism for the future. He told reporters that Washington was close to "sending out a new term sheet" that would get to "a long-term resolution, a temporary ceasefire, and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of that conflict."
Hamas has been seeking assurances that Israel would permanently halt its assault after the ceasefire, while Israeli authorities want to keep their options open.
Since the last ceasefire between Israel and Hamas broke down in March, Israel has launched intense waves of attacks on the territory, heavily restricted aid and said it plans to occupy Gaza. The United Nations is warning that the moves have put the entire population of Gaza at risk of famine.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said Israel won’t stop fighting until Hamas is destroyed. His security cabinet approved a plan this month to seize all of Gaza and push its residents south, where Israel would then facilitate their expulsion from the enclave, a move experts say probably would be a crime under international law.
Hamas wants an American guarantee that the ceasefire will lead to a permanent end to the fighting, nor does it specify that if negotiations extend beyond 60 days, the ceasefire will also continue.
Israel's Defense Minister, Israel Katz, made it clear that Hamas was running out of options.
“The IDF continues its operation in Gaza with full force, striking and dismantling Hamas strongholds, while evacuating the local population from all combat zones and attacking the area from the air, land and sea at an unprecedented scale to ensure maximum protection for our soldiers,” he says in a statement.
“After eliminating the terrorists and clearing the area, the IDF will remove all threats according to the Rafah model, and remain to hold the area,” Katz said. The "Rafah model" may refer to plans to occupy large swaths of Gaza, raze most buildings, and keep an occupation force.
“The Hamas murderers must now choose: accept the terms of the ‘Witkoff deal’ for the release of the hostages, or be destroyed,” he added.
There's not much left in Gaza to destroy.
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