Israel was waiting on Monday night for the Hamas response to the final draft of a proposed Gaza ceasefire and hostage release agreement, raising hopes that an end to the 15-month war was at hand.
Israel’s approval is considered a formality if Hamas endorses the deal; several Israeli ministries, including the health ministry, were alerted on Monday night to prepare for the return of hostages from Gaza.
International mediators released the draft just after midnight on Sunday following proximity talks in the Qatari capital, Doha, that gradually narrowed the gaps between the sides.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told Bloomberg TV there was “a distinct possibility we can get this deal done this week, before president [Joe] Biden leaves office”. President-elect Donald Trump has repeatedly warned there will be “hell to pay” if there is no deal before his January 20th inauguration, and it is believed the “Trump factor” was the prime catalyst pushing the sides over the line after more than a year of deadlocked talks.
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Release of three Israeli hostages to go ahead following week of tension
Mr Biden has said his administration is on the brink of sealing the deal that could pause the war after more than 14 months of fighting. In a speech in Washington meant to showcase his foreign policy achievements, the US president said the contours of the deal matched a “proposal that I laid out in detail months ago”.
The outgoing US president had on Sunday stressed to Israeli prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu the “immediate need” for a ceasefire and a hostage-release agreement, said the White House in a readout of their conversation.
Mr Biden urged the return of the Israeli hostages still held captive in Gaza with an increase in humanitarian aid enabled by a stoppage in the fighting under the deal, it said.
The two-stage ceasefire agreement reportedly provides for an initial “humanitarian” stage lasting 42 days, during which 33 hostages, alive and dead, of the 98 in Hamas captivity would be released, starting one week after a truce went into effect. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw from several parts of the Gaza Strip to which Palestinian residents would be allowed to return, and humanitarian aid would increase.
Israel would withdraw completely from Gaza in the second stage, when the remaining hostages are due to be released.
The Saudi Al-Arabiya network reported that 50 women Palestinian prisoners held by Israel would be released for every woman IDF soldier who was freed. More than 150 Palestinian prisoners serving life terms in Israeli prisons would be released and sent into exile.
Head of the Palestinian commission for detainees Qadura Fares travelled to Qatar on Monday and was examining the list of Palestinian detainees due to be released under the deal.
Another indication that a deal was close was the arrival in Israel of the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Mirjana Spoljaric, who met the families of Israeli hostages.
An ICRC statement affirmed the group’s readiness to “play a role as a neutral intermediary and facilitate the release and transfer of the hostages out of Gaza in the event of agreement”.
The two far-right parties in prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s coalition, the Religious Zionist party and Otzma Yehudit‚ will vote against the agreement, but it is still guaranteed a majority. Far-right finance minister Bezalel Smotrich, head of the Religious Zionist party, described the emerging deal as a “catastrophe for Israel’s national security”.
“This is the time to continue with all our strength, to conquer and purify the whole strip, to finally take from the hands of Hamas their rule over humanitarian aid and to open the gates of hell on Gaza until the definitive surrender of Hamas and the return of all hostages,” he said.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said on Monday he had met a Qatari government official on Sunday in Paris and was told that Hamas was not interested in scuttling a deal. He reiterated that the opposition in Israel would back a deal and provide a parliamentary safety net.
Meanwhile, five soldiers were killed in an explosion in Gaza on Monday, after 10 were killed the previous week. More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s onslaught on Gaza since October 7th, 2023, according to the Hamas-controlled health ministry. Israel says 1,200 were killed and 250 taken hostage in the Hamas-led attack on that day.
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