Hamas’s political leader has expressed openness to a proposal to halt the fighting in Gaza and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners. This is a potentially promising sign for a deal, although there are still significant obstacles to overcome. Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, has indicated a willingness to consider a deal, but has reiterated the group’s long-standing demands for the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. This demand was immediately rejected by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Representatives from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel have agreed to present a framework to Hamas, which would begin with a six-week cease-fire to facilitate the release of hostages. Hamas is studying the proposal and has expressed gratitude to Qatar and Egypt for their efforts. The group is willing to work with the framework if it helps achieve its demands, which include a permanent cease-fire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza, the lifting of the Israeli blockade, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Netanyahu has stated that Israel will not withdraw its military from Gaza or release thousands of Palestinian prisoners, emphasizing that they will not compromise on anything less than total victory.
While there are still significant differences between the two sides, the fact that Hamas’s leader is considering a proposal raised hopes for a potential deal. The proposed framework involves a pause in the war, during which Hamas would exchange some hostages for Palestinian prisoners. This would be the first of three potential phases of swaps.
Haniyeh has also mentioned that Hamas has received an invitation to Cairo to discuss the framework agreement from the Paris meeting. However, it is important to note that the talks are at an early stage, and many details would need to be worked out if Hamas agreed to start building on the framework.
2024-01-30 13:52:02
Original from www.nytimes.com