New Delhi:
No one is in a position to say anything concrete yet about when the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza will stop. It still remains a big challenge for Israel to free all its citizens from the clutches of Hamas. However, in the meantime, Israel had tried to free its hostages by putting pressure on Gaza from all sides, but it failed. Amid the ongoing fighting in Gaza, America on Tuesday hinted towards a possible deal between Israel and Hamas. Now it is being said that this comes after alleged indirect talks brokered by Qatar with Egypt and the United States. Now in such a situation, it is a big question whether this war going on between Israel and Hamas is now on the verge of stopping.
How did this hope suddenly arise?
According to AFP news, a diplomatic source has said that America’s newly elected President Donald Trump had said a few days ago that before taking oath as President on January 20, he would like to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas. Go. According to sources, Hamas has also accepted that it cannot continue this fight for long. This is also because the condition of its ally Hezbollah in Lebanon has weakened considerably, while on the other hand, the help from the Syrian government is also not continuing as before. In such a situation, it is not possible for him to continue this fight for long. According to sources, Hamas wants an agreement to be reached by the end of this year. Sources even say that it is possible to reach an agreement between Israel and Hamas by Christmas.
According to sources, Hamas leaders present abroad after the assassination of Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar seem ready to negotiate this agreement. A senior Hamas official told AFP on Tuesday that talks are in the “final” stage and that Qatar and Egypt will announce the deal after the talks end. Israeli government spokesman David Mencer, meanwhile, proposed the deal at a media briefing on Wednesday. But declined to comment and said the less said the better.
What could be the conditions of this deal?
Let us tell you that on October 7 last year, Hamas attacked Israel and took 251 of its citizens hostage. Now that it has been more than a year since this war, there are still 96 hostages in the custody of Hamas. According to the Israeli Army, 34 of the hostages who are still in the custody of Hamas have died. A Hamas official has told AFP that the terms of this agreement include implementing a ceasefire and in exchange for the gradual release of hostages. In the first, six-week phase, Israeli civilian hostages and female soldiers will be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
A source close to Hamas said that during this phase, Israel will withdraw its forces from west of the Rafah crossing on the Philadelphia corridor. Israeli forces will also partially withdraw from the Netzarim corridor, which bisects the territory just south of Gaza City, and gradually abandon Palestinian refugee camps.
Finally, the first phase will see the gradual return of displaced residents to Gaza City and the north via the coastal highway under Israeli military supervision, while the second phase will see the release of Israeli male soldiers in exchange for many Palestinian prisoners, including many with long sentences. Less than 100 prisoners will also participate.
During this phase Israel will complete its military withdrawal but Israel will maintain troops on the eastern and northern border areas. Under the final phase of the proposed deal, an official declaration of war would be made and reconstruction efforts would begin in the area where the UN satellite The agency said 66 percent of all structures have been damaged. Finally, the Rafah crossing on the Egyptian border will be jointly managed by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority in coordination with Egypt and the European Union.
These things are also going to be very important
Despite several rounds of indirect talks, Israel and Hamas agreed only to a one-week cease-fire at the end of 2023. Since then, negotiations between Hamas and Israel have faced several challenges, with the key point of contention being whether to permanently Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has also repeatedly said that he does not want to withdraw Israeli troops from the Philadelphia corridor. Diplomats interviewed by AFP One of the sources spoken to said Israel would never withdraw from the border strip, leaving at most a small border for others to manage.
Another unresolved issue is who will rule Gaza after this war. This remains a highly controversial issue, including within the Palestinian leadership. Israel has repeatedly stated that it will never allow Hamas to rule the territory again. On the other hand, a Hamas official told AFP on Wednesday that while Egypt, Qatar, Turkey, the United Nations and the United States will guarantee the implementation of the terms of the agreement, none of these countries has said yes to it.
