Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting in the┬аGaza┬аStrip and exchange hostages for Palestinian prisoners as a first step toward┬аan end to the┬а15-month-old war.
A week before U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes over from President Joe Biden, officials said a┬аbreakthrough┬аhad been achieved in talks in Doha and agreement could be near.
However, many details about the implementation of a ceasefire remain to be agreed upon, and officials on all sides have said that a deal has not yet been reached.
Here are the main points from the draft, according to an Israeli official and a Palestinian official. Hamas has not provided any details.
Phased hostage return
In the first stage, 33 hostages would be set free. These include children, women including female soldiers, men above 50,┬аwounded and sick. Israel believes most are alive but has had no official confirmation from Hamas.
- The first stage would last for several weeks, although the Israeli official said the precise duration had not been settled. The Palestinian official said it would last 60 days.
- If it proceeds as planned, on the 16th day from the deal taking effect, negotiations would start on a second stage, with the aim of securing the return of the remaining living hostages тАФ male soldiers and younger civilian males тАФ and the return of the bodies of dead hostages.
- In return for the hostages, Israel will free from its jails a significant number of Palestinian prisoners, including some serving long sentences for deadly attacks, although exactly how many will depend on how many hostages are still alive. The Israeli official said the number would be “many hundreds,” while the Palestinian official said it would be more than 1,000.
- Where the prisoners would be sent has not yet been agreed upon but anyone convicted of murder or deadly attacks would not be released to the West Bank.
- Anyone who took part in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel would not be released.
Israeli troops will withdraw┬а
Israel will not fully withdraw its troops until all the hostages have been returned but there will be a phased pullback, with Israeli forces remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
- There would be security arrangements at the Philadelphi corridor bordering Egypt, along the southern edge of┬аGaza, with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
- Unarmed North┬аGaza┬аresidents would be allowed back, with a mechanism to ensure no weapons are moved there. Israeli troops will withdraw from the Netzarim corridor in central┬аGaza.
- The Rafah crossing between Egypt and┬аGaza┬аwill start to work gradually, allowing the passage of those who are sick and humanitarian cases out of the enclave for treatment.
Increase in aid
There would be a significant increase of humanitarian aid into the┬аGaza┬аStrip, where international bodies including the UN┬аsay the population is facing a severe humanitarian crisis.
Israel allows aid into the enclave but there have been disputes over the amount allowed in as well as the amount that reaches people in need, with looting by criminal gangs an increasing problem.
Who will run Gaza?
Who will run┬аGaza┬аafter the war is one of the unknowns of the negotiations. It appears that the current round of talks left the issue out of the proposal because of its complexity and the likelihood it would hold up a limited deal.
Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It has also rejected administration of┬аGaza┬аby the Palestinian Authority, the Western-backed body set up under the Oslo interim peace accords three decades ago that exercises limited sovereignty in the occupied West Bank.
U.S. President Joe Biden is among the officials saying Israel and Hamas are close to reaching a ceasefire agreement, which aid agencies in Gaza say is urgently needed.
Israel┬аhas also said from the beginning of its military campaign in┬аGaza┬аthat it will retain security control over the enclave after the fighting ends.
The international community has said┬аGaza┬аmust be run by Palestinians, but efforts to find alternatives to the main factions among civil society or clan leaders have proved largely fruitless.
However, there have been┬аdiscussions┬аbetween Israel, the United Arab Emirates and the U.S. over a provisional administration that would run┬аGaza┬аuntil a reformed Palestinian Authority is able to take charge.
