Early Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the terms of his proposed potential agreement for a prisoner exchange and ceasefire in Gaza, and it is now Hamas’ turn to approve.
اضافة اعلان
Trump spoke about the possibility of reaching a deal soon to end the war in Gaza based on one of the proposals, issuing what he described as a “final warning” to Hamas regarding the consequences of rejecting the new proposal.
What’s new in the proposal?
Axios reported that U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff sent a new proposal to Hamas last week, which appears to be the plan Trump revealed on Monday.
The U.S. website cited two sources saying the new proposal includes a comprehensive solution to release all prisoners in exchange for ending the war in Gaza.
Axios added that the proposal aims to find a diplomatic solution before a full Israeli military operation to occupy Gaza City.
According to Israel’s official broadcasting authority and Channel 12, the new U.S. proposal includes key changes compared to previous initiatives, including last month’s plan, and its main points are as follows:
Release of all Israeli prisoners in Gaza, totaling 48, including 20 alive and 28 deceased, on the first day of the deal.
Release of hundreds of high-sentence Palestinian prisoners, along with thousands of other detainees.
Halting “Gideon 2” operations, which the Israeli army began in early September to occupy Gaza City completely.
Opening a new negotiation track personally managed by Trump to reach a comprehensive agreement ending the war.
Positions of the parties
Hamas said on Sunday evening that it received some ideas from the U.S. side through mediators to reach a ceasefire agreement. The movement added that it is ready to immediately sit at the negotiating table to discuss the release of all prisoners in exchange for a clear declaration ending the war, full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and forming a committee of independent Palestinians to manage the sector immediately.
Hamas also demanded in its statement that Israel publicly and explicitly commit to implementing the agreement to prevent past experiences of violating agreements from recurring.
On the other hand, sources close to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he is seriously considering the U.S. proposal to return all Israeli prisoners.
Previous proposal
On August 18, mediators presented a new proposal for a prisoner exchange and ceasefire.
It called for a two-month truce and phased prisoner exchanges leading to negotiations for a final agreement to end the war. Hamas approved the proposal, but Israel did not respond and effectively rejected it by imposing conditions, including full security control of Gaza and disarmament of Hamas.
At that time, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari said that the proposal approved by Hamas included a path for a permanent ceasefire.
According to Al Jazeera sources, the proposal included the following:
A 60-day truce, during which negotiations would continue for a comprehensive end to the war.
During the ceasefire, the Israeli army would reposition to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.
Release of 8 Israeli prisoners alive at the beginning of the truce.
Exchange of 10 Israeli prisoners alive and 18 bodies for 1,700 Palestinian prisoners, including 45 serving life sentences and 15 with long-term sentences.
Release of two more prisoners on day 50 of the truce, with Israeli deceased gradually released.
Of the 1,700 Palestinian prisoners included in the proposed deal, 1,500 are Gaza detainees arrested after October 7, 2023.
—(Al Jazeera)
