Israel-Hamas War: A ceasefire in the Israel and Hamas war in Gaza is at its “closest point” yet, Qatar confirmed on Tuesday, a statement that was later echoed by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken. “It’s right on the brink,” the US secretary of state said during a press conference, adding “It’s closer than it’s ever been before.”
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages, AP reported quoting people in the know on Tuesday.
Negotiations to bring the 15-month conflict to an end are in their final stages, Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told a news conference in Doha on Tuesday.
Qatar, alongside the United States and Egypt, has sought to mediate a deal for many months.
“A draft agreement has been handed to both Hamas and Israel and major obstacles on key contentious issues between the two sides have been addressed,” al-Ansari said, according to Al Jazeera report.
What’s in the 3-phased Israel-Gaza Ceasefire deal?
The details of the three phased ceasefire proposal were shared by Al Jazeera, and Reuters.
3. Israel will not fully withdraw its troops from Gaza until all the hostages have been returned but there will be a phased pull back, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages
4. Israel will withdraw from parts of the Philadelphi Corridor, which borders Egypt, along with implementing security arrangements in the area, following the initial phase of the ceasefire agreement.
5. On the 16th day from the Israel-Gaza deal taking effect, negotiations would start on a second stage, with the aim of securing the return of the remaining living hostages – male soldiers and younger civilian males – and the return of the bodies of dead hostages
6. Subsequent Negotiations and Long-Term Solutions: The second phase will commence 16 days into the ceasefire, focusing on negotiations for the release of remaining hostages, including male soldiers and younger civilians.
7. The third phase of the Israel-Gaza ceasefire deal will address long-term arrangements, such as establishing a new governing body in Gaza and plans for its reconstruction.
8. Security Measures and Humanitarian Aid: As part of the Israel-Haza ceasefire agreement, security checks will be conducted by an international body, allowing one million Palestinians to return to northern Gaza.
9. Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there, and the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will start to work gradually.
10. The Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza will gradually reopen, facilitating a significant increase in humanitarian aid to the region while ensuring that no weapons are moved into Gaza.
Israel’s health ministry is preparing for the return of 33 hostages as part of the first phase of a potential ceasefire, an Israeli official said.
The conditions of these hostages, which will include women, children, older adults and wounded civilians, will be “very different” than when Hamas released 105 hostages as part of a hostage deal in November 2023, Dr Sharon Alroy-Preis, head of the ministry’s public health division, said, the Times of Israel reported.
