An Israeli diplomatic source who spoke with Israel Hayom on Saturday said that even under the deal presented by US President Joe Biden, Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed, including the destruction of Hamas' military and governing capabilities, the release of all captives, and ensuring that Gaza no longer poses a threat to Israel.
Israel has now offered a roadmap to an enduring ceasefire – and the release of all the hostages.
Yesterday, this proposal was transmitted by Qatar to Hamas.
Today, I want to lay out its terms for the world. pic.twitter.com/0cdypBP9wb
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 31, 2024
According to the source, "The outline for the release of captives allows Israel to demand that all these conditions be met before a permanent ceasefire takes effect.
According to the details of the outline that reached Israel Hayom, it is supposed to include the release of all 125 captives in phases. First, during the humanitarian phase, a temporary lull in the fighting will lead to the release of dozens of women, elderly, and wounded. Alongside the release of the captives in that phase, negotiations will be held to finalize the terms for the second phase of the deal, in which there would be the release of the remaining living and dead captives. After these conditions are met, a permanent ceasefire will be implemented as part of the second phase and, as mentioned, subject to Israel's demand for the destruction of Hamas' capabilities.
According to the source, "Under the agreement, Israel will insist that the implementation of the second phase of the plan will begin only after an agreement is reached on the terms of the permanent ceasefire, according to the wording of the proposal, which states: 'No later than the 16th day, indirect negotiations between the two sides will begin in order to formulate an agreement on the conditions for the implementation of the second phase of this agreement.'"
In addition, according to the source, Israel reserves the right to resume the fighting at any time if Hamas violates its commitments in the agreement, including the non-release of captives in the agreed-upon number, and insofar as Israel perceives that the negotiations are futile and only serve to buy time.
The War Cabinet approved the additional compromises for the negotiating team as published by President Biden, particularly the possibility of continuing negotiations during a ceasefire, something Israel had opposed until now. If the plan is fully implemented, the Americans will conveniently receive a ceasefire in Gaza until close to their presidential election date. That is, 42 days three times, which is a total of 132 days of ceasefire that can become permanent. Now they are waiting here to see how Hamas will respond to the deal that has already begun and looks like the demands presented by Hamas on its part, except for the part where Hamas remains in control of the Gaza Strip.
An Israeli senior official estimated that the chances of reaching a deal are slim. The official stressed that Israel has indeed agreed to a lull in the fighting during the humanitarian phase, during which about 20 captives (women, elderly, and humanitarian cases) are expected to be released. However, immediately after it ends, Israel will indeed be ready to discuss a permanent ceasefire, but these discussions will only take place after the fighting resumes.
