FALCON POWERS – Israel has presented new proposals to end the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip since October of last year, which may mark a potential breakthrough in the negotiations for a ceasefire in the region.
According to the Israeli website Walla, the new proposal includes what it calls significant concessions from the Israeli side, including an implicit readiness to discuss ways to end the war.
The prominent proposals that indicate a shift in the Israeli position, which were presented to Hamas, include:
- Willingness to fully allow the return of Palestinian refugees to their homes.
- Withdrawal of the Israeli army from the corridor that divides the Gaza Strip, known as the Netzarim corridor.
- Willingness to permanently cease fire in the future, as part of the implementation of the second stage of the ceasefire agreement, which are essential demands for Hamas.
Hamas is considering the proposal
Khalil al-Hayya, a Hamas leader, stated in a statement that the movement has received the official Israeli response to its position regarding ceasefire talks, adding that they will study the proposal before announcing their response.
The statement said, “Today, Hamas received the official response from the occupation to the movement’s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13, and will study this proposal and deliver its response upon completing the study.”
According to Walla, a senior Israeli official said that at the end of the Friday talks between the Egyptian intelligence delegation and the Israeli negotiating team, the Egyptians presented a new proposal to Hamas, which included Israel’s readiness to offer further significant concessions, including a willingness to discuss the restoration of calm in the Gaza Strip after the implementation of the humanitarian and first phase of the ceasefire deal.
This marks the first time that Israel has announced its readiness to end the war in Gaza in the advanced stages of the negotiations.
According to Walla, the Israeli official stated that the new proposal was formulated in collaboration between the Egyptian intelligence officials and the Israeli negotiating team.
The official said in this context, “We hope that what we have proposed is sufficient to engage Hamas in serious negotiations, and we hope that they understand through this proposal that we are serious about reaching an agreement – we are serious. They need to understand that it is possible that if the first phase is implemented, we can progress to the next stages and reach the end of the war.”
The official indicated that Israel believes Hamas perceives the threat posed by an Israeli invasion of Rafah as a real threat, which may encourage reaching an agreement.
The Israeli side hopes that the proposal will lead to intense negotiations on the details, especially regarding the number of hostages to be released from Gaza in exchange for the release of prisoners in Israeli prisons.
