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Hamas agrees to ceasefire proposal, but Israeli position uncertain
On Monday Hamas said it agreed to a proposal put forward by mediators Qatar and Egypt to reach a 60-day truce in Gaza with a path towards a sustainable ceasefire. It did not elaborate on the details of the draft deal.
However, top Israeli officials said Hamas is under pressure because of Israel’s plans to conquer Gaza City, and far-right Israeli National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir insisted the war must continue.
Here’s what we know about the potential truce:
- A source familiar with the talks told Al Jazeera the proposal calls for a 60-day halt to military operations, during which Israeli forces would relocate to allow in humanitarian aid.
- During that period, half of the 50 remaining Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.
- The source said the plan “marks the beginning of the path to a comprehensive solution”.
- The reaction from top Israeli officials has so far been less than receptive. Defense Minister Israel Katz said Hamas’s willingness to negotiate simply stems from fear of Israel’s planned invasion of Gaza City.
- Meanwhile, far-right Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have voiced strong opposition to the proposed ceasefire, with Smotrich insisting Israel must not “grant the enemy a lifeline”.
Qatari Foreign Ministry says Hamas response to ceasefire proposal positive; still waiting for Israeli answer
The Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari confirmed that his country and Egypt have received a positive response from Hamas to a ceasefire proposal that aims at “reaching a comprehensive agreement to end the war”.
Speaking at a news conference in Doha, al-Ansari said the proposal included a 60-day provisional ceasefire during which a number of captives and prisoners would be swapped, Israeli forces in Gaza would be repositioned, and aid to Gaza would be increased.
The spokesperson said the proposal was “almost identical” to US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff’s previous proposal, but that Israel had yet to send its response.
Al-Ansari said there was no timeframe for when Israel would answer. “Almost 98 percent of what has been agreed to by the Israelis was contained in this recent proposal,” al-Ansari said.
‘If this proposal fails, crisis will exacerbate,’ says Qatar’s al-Ansari
Pressed on what, if anything, differentiates the current Gaza ceasefire proposal from an earlier one put forward by US envoy Witkoff, al-Ansari said he would not delve into the details as negotiations remain active.
“What is important here is to reach an agreement that is acceptable to both parties in word and in essence. And that’s what we have been working on in the past days,” al-Ansari said.
“We are at a very defining humanitarian moment,” he added. “If this proposal fails, the crisis will exacerbate, and therefore Qatar, in cooperation with Egypt and the other global players, including the US, are doing all they can in order to reach a ceasefire.”
“I’m not in the habit of being overly optimistic when I don’t have clear facts in front of me,” he said. “What I can tell you is that we have a positive response from Hamas. That positive response, according to what we know, is almost all that was agreed by Israel in previous iterations of these talks.”
But “we are yet to receive a response from the Israel side,” he continued, “so we cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. “But we do believe it is a positive point when we have a positive response from Hamas."
