Israel has accepted a ceasefire proposal to halt its war on Gaza, as reported by Al Jazeera on Thursday, citing the Qatari Foreign Ministry.
The ceasefire initiative, brokered in Paris over the weekend, involved Qatari and Egyptian diplomats mediating between Israel and the Palestinian officials.
Delegations from Tel Aviv and Gaza left Paris, committing to reviewing the proposal and engaging in further negotiations during the week. By Thursday evening, a potential deal seemed imminent.
“Israel agreed to the ceasefire proposal, and we have initial positive confirmation from Hamas,” stated a spokesperson for the Qatari Foreign Ministry on Thursday evening, according to Al Jazeera. “We are awaiting their response,” the spokesperson added.
According to a Hamas statement shared with Reuters earlier in the week, the proposed ceasefire would unfold in three stages. The first stage involves a 40-day cessation of hostilities as Hamas releases female civilians, children, and elderly individuals still held captive. Simultaneously, there would be resumed large-scale deliveries of food and medicine into Gaza.
Subsequent stages would include the handover of captive Israeli soldiers and the remains of Israeli troops. In return, there would be further aid deliveries and the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
“Military operations on both sides will stop during the three stages,” asserted the Palestinian Resistance Movement, noting that the number of released Palestinian prisoners is subject to negotiation.
The proposed agreement falls short of Hamas’s initial demand for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Despite this, it poses a challenge to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s objective of achieving “total victory” over the Gaza resistance, as promised on multiple occasions.
While hardliners within Netanyahu’s cabinet advocate rejecting any deal perceived as too lenient towards Hamas, Israel has faced international condemnation for its atrocities in Gaza.
This week, two key supporters of the Zionist regime, the US and UK, suggested they might soon recognize an independent Palestinian state.
On October 7, Israel imposed a siege on Gaza and launched numerous airstrikes on the densely-populated enclave after the Gaza Resistance groups, led by Hamas launched an attacks on occupied lands in opposition to the long-lasting Israeli aggressions against the besieged enclave. A ground operation ensued three weeks later, leading to more than 27,000 Palestinian casualties over almost four months, with two-thirds being women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry.
