Hamas delegation in Egypt, a sign of progress towards the ceasefire

2024-05-03 17:48:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

After months of negotiations, ceasefire efforts appear to have reached a critical stage, with Egyptian and American mediators announcing signs of compromise in recent days. But the chances of a deal are closely tied to whether Israel will agree to end the war without achieving its goal of destroying Hamas.

The proposal by US and Egyptian mediators to Hamas – apparently with Israel's approval – envisages a three-stage process that would bring an immediate six-week pause in fighting and the partial release of Israeli hostages, but also negotiations on the possibility of of an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, according to an Egyptian official. However, it is not clear what shape and size this withdrawal would take.

Hamas is demanding guarantees of a full Israeli withdrawal and a complete end to the war. Hamas officials have sent mixed signals about the proposal in recent days.

But on Thursday, the group's senior leader, Ismail Haniyeh, said in a statement that he had spoken with Egypt's intelligence chief and stressed that he was considering the proposal "in a positive spirit".

According to the statement, Hamas negotiators will go to Cairo "to conclude discussions with a view to working towards an agreement".

Mediators hope the deal will end the conflict that began after the Oct. 7 attack in Israel that killed nearly 1,200 people. According to the Health Ministry in Hamas-controlled Gaza, the Israeli counteroffensive has caused the deaths of more than 34,000 Palestinians and a humanitarian crisis in the territory.

They also hope a deal would avert an Israeli assault on Rafah, home to more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people.

If Israel agrees to end the war in exchange for the full release of the hostages, this would constitute a major U-turn. Israel's leaders have vowed not to stop bombing and ground offensives until the militant group is destroyed.

They also say Israel should maintain a military presence in Gaza and control security there after the war, to ensure Hamas does not re-emerge. At least publicly, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu continues to insist that this is the only acceptable scenario.

He has vowed that even if a ceasefire is reached, Israel will intervene in Rafah, which he says is Hamas' last stronghold in Gaza. He reiterated his determination to do so in talks with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who was in Israel this week on a regional tour to try to broker the deal.

It is not clear whether Hamas would accept a quick deal that does not provide a final solution, in favor of an initial six-week pause in fighting - and at least a postponement of an assault on Rafah, which could have devastating consequences for what is suspected to be a devastating attack in Rafah. Egypt has privately assured Hamas that the deal will mean a complete end to the war.

But the Egyptian official said that Hamas believes that the language of the text of the proposal is too vague and wants it to explicitly state that Israel will withdraw completely from all of Gaza./ VOA