Image of man holding Palestinian flag.

Iris Brown 

On 15th March, Hamas presented a new Gaza ceasefire proposal to Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

The proposition included the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinians detained by Israel, a permanent ceasefire, increased aid and the right of return for Palestinians displaced from their homes in October 2023.

The proposal has thus far been rejected by the Israeli government.

PALESTINE AND ISRAEL

On 7th October 2023, Palestinians, including many members of Hamas, breached border points and entered Israel from the Gaza Strip. 12,000 Israelis were killed and 253 were taken into Gaza.

Over 31,000 Palestinians have been killed and more than 71,000 have been injured since Israel’s retaliation.

The United Nations has warned of famine in Gaza, of which more than 575,000 people are at risk from.

A recent raid on the largest hospital in Gaza, the Al-Shifa hospital complex in the North of the region, resulted in the deaths of 90 people after an hours-long siege. Israel has stated that those killed were terrorists, and have taken more than 160 people as suspects.

The Gazan government media department has denied the presence of terrorists at the hospital, and has said that those killed were displaced people sheltering and patients.

Hamas has proposed multiple deals with Israel for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli ground soldiers from the Gaza strip.

They have requested that Palestinians displaced by Israeli’s aggression be allowed to return to the centre and northern regions of the Gaza strip and the increased entry of unrestricted aid.

A truce proposal was presented to Hamas by mediators in late February for a temporary ceasefire, the conditions being a 40-day cease in Israeli military activity and exchange of ten Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli hostage. The plan also included repairs to Gazan hospitals and bakeries and the provision of 500 aid trucks daily during the ceasefire.

There has been no final decision on this plan.

LATEST CEASEFIRE PROPOSAL

The latest two-step deal proposed by Hamas has requested the return of 700 to 1,000 Palestinian prisoners, 100 of whom are serving life sentences, in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.

Hamas has said they would release ill, elderly, child, and female hostages first. After the initial releases, a date would be set for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, at which point all detainees would be exchanged.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, has rejected the proposal on the grounds that it is “unrealistic.”

Israel’s position remains that there should be no permanent ceasefire until the destruction of Hamas is achieved in Gaza, and that Israel should control the security of the Gaza enclave following this.

Another reason for Israel’s rejection of the deal that would see the return of hostages concerns the political interests of PM Netanyahu. Far-right members of Israel’s government oppose any release of Palestinian prisoners, and Netanyahu needs their continued support to remain in power.

Families of those held hostage in Gaza are becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Israeli government’s failure to find and return their loved ones.

On the morning of 20th March, hostage’s family members blocked a main highway in Israel, displaying a banner reading: “it’s on you, don’t come back from Qatar without a deal,” referencing the current negotiations happening with mediation by Qatar and demanding Israeli officials to come to an agreement with Hamas.

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Featured image courtesy of Ahmed Abu Hameeda on Unsplash. No changes were made to this image. Image license found here.

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