Hamas Mulls U.S. Proposal for Gaza Ceasefire, Officials Indicate

The White House is waiting for Hamas' reply to the new proposal. Gaza hostages and proposed truce agreement President Trump's Ambassador Steve Witkow reported on Wednesday evening, however, U.S. authorities seem more doubtful about an impending agreement compared to the previous day.

Why it matters: The White House press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, stated that Israel approved the proposal prior to Witkoff presenting it to Hamas. However, certain members within the militant organization think that instead of striking a compromise, Witkoff’s submission contained additional concessions to Israel.

  • "Conversations are ongoing, and we trust a ceasefire in Gaza We aim to make this happen so that we can bring all the hostages back home. ... Should a ceasefire be implemented, you will receive an update directly from me, from the president, or from special envoy Witkoff,” Leavitt stated.
  • In a statement, Hamas mentioned that they were currently reviewing the proposition. However, some members within the organization have voiced significant reservations regarding the absence of explicit assurances preventing Israel from once more unilaterally terminating the truce, similar to what occurred in March, stated two individuals privy to these discussions.

Breaking it down: The recently suggested 60-day truce — where President Trump pledges to ensure Israel adheres to the agreement — does not significantly diverge from earlier proposals.

  • This includes the release of 10 living hostages and 18 dead hostages detained in Gaza, with half being released on the first day and the remaining half on the seventh day of the truce.
  • As part of the deal, Israel agreed to free 125 Palestinian inmates who were sentenced to life in prison, along with an additional 1,100 Palestinians held captive by the Israeli military following events on October 7, 2023, in Gaza. Additionally, Israel will hand over the remains of approximately 180 Palestinians reportedly deceased due to confrontations with Israelis.
  • The IDF plans to withdraw its troops from Gaza in two stages, with the specific arrangements to be discussed and agreed upon by both sides prior to the provisional truce.
  • Humanitarian assistance to Gaza will resume via the UN and the Red Crescent. However, it remains uncertain how this development affects the newly introduced contentious aid system from earlier this week.

Behind the scenes: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu informed the families of hostages on Thursday that Israel is prepared to proceed with a hostage exchange and ceasefire agreement in Gaza based on Witkoff's proposal, as reported by someone present at the meeting.

  • Witkoff's new proposal It was thoroughly coordinated with Israel and resulted from his meeting with Netanyahu’s advisor Ron Dermer at the White House on Tuesday, according to an Israeli official and a knowledgeable source who spoke to Axios.

Zoom in: Witkoff's proposal includes a commitment that Trump would personally announced the temporary ceasefire and work to ensure that during those 60 days "good faith negotiations take place until a final settlement is reached."

  • Those negotiations would focus on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released in exchange for the remaining Israeli hostages, the terms of Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, and security arrangements and post-war governance in Gaza "with each side presenting its positions."
  • According to the document, the two sides are required to come to terms on a lasting truce within sixty days. Should they manage to agree, the rest of the captives will be freed. However, if no accord is made, the pause in hostilities may be prolonged with both parties' approval.

Friction point: Although the proposal indicates that the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt would ensure serious discussions occur towards a lasting truce, Hamas sought far more robust assurances from the U.S. that Israel wouldn’t abandon the talks once more.

  • According to two sources who were directly informed, Hamas leaders viewed parts of the document as an indication that the U.S. stance was tilting more towards Israel.
  • Hamas leaders were similarly upset because the proposition did not explicitly mention that Israeli troops should retreat to their positions prior to the previous cease-fire breakdown in March, according to these sources.
  • They also took issue with the fact that the proposal did not specify that assistance would only be provided via the previously used channels rather than through the recently established Gaza Humanitarian Fund.

What to watch: Hamas officials in Doha expressed frustration about the new proposal with several of them pushing to reject it. Other Hamas official argued the group should accept the proposal with additional conditions.

Get the rundown of the biggest stories of the day with Axios Daily Essentials.

Post a Comment for "Hamas Mulls U.S. Proposal for Gaza Ceasefire, Officials Indicate"