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The Middle East envoy of American president Donald Trump expressed his optimism this week to report an agreement to stop the Israel-Hamas conflict and return more hostages captured in the attack that ignited it.
“I have very good feelings to obtain a long-term resolution-a temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution, a peaceful resolution of this conflict,” Steve Witkoff told Washington on Wednesday, adding that a new American proposal would soon be Delivered to the parties at war.
Hamas, on the other hand, said that it had agreed with Witkoff on a “general framework” of an agreement that would lead to a sustainable ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, a influx of aid and a power transfer of the militant group to a politically independent committee of the Palestinians.
Israel, however, has publicly excluded such an agreement, claiming that it would only accept temporary breaks in the fighting to facilitate the release of hostages. The Israeli media have cited civil servants as denying that any agreement in the lines described by Hamas is on the table.
What does Israel and Hamas want?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refused to end the conflict until all hostages are released and Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and sent to exile. He said that Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and would facilitate what he calls voluntary emigration of a large part of its population.
The Palestinians and most of the international community have rejected the plans to reinstall the population of Gaza, according to experts, experts are likely to violate international law.
Hamas said that it would only release the remaining hostages – its only negotiation broadcast – in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, a sustainable ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal. He offered to give up power to a committee of politically independent Palestinians who could supervise the reconstruction.
Hamas still holds 58 hostages. About a third would be alive, although many fear that they are in serious danger, the more the conflict continues. Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel has renewed its air strikes and ground operations after putting an end to a cease-fire in March.
The dispute as to whether there should be a temporary cease -fire to release more hostages – as Israel has asked – or permanent – as Hamas wants – has plunged talks negotiated by the United States, Egypt and Qatar for more than a year and a half, and there is no indication that it has been resolved.
What is the last proposal for a ceasefire?
Witkoff did not publish his last proposal, but an official of Hamas and an Egyptian official confirmed certain details independently. They spoke under the cover of anonymity to discuss sensitive talks.
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They say that it requires a 60 -day break in the fighting, guaranteeing serious negotiations leading to a long -term truce and the insurance that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of the hostages, as it did in March. Israeli forces would recover from the positions they occupied during the ceasefire that Israel ended this month.
Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a certain number of bodies during the 60 -day break in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, 100 of which serving long sorrows after being found guilty of fatal attacks.
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say that an Israeli blockage of almost three months – slightly relaxed in recent days – has pushed the population on the verge of famine.
Why is it so difficult to end the conflict?
The activists led by Hamas stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mainly civilians and removing 251 hostages. More than half of the hostages have been published in ceasels or other offers. Israel saved eight and recovered dozens of bodies.
The military campaign that followed by Israel killed more than 54,000 Palestinians, mainly women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Health managed by Hamas, which does not say how many deaths were civilians or combatants.
The offensive has destroyed large Gaza areas and moved around 90% of its population of around 2 million Palestinians, with hundreds of thousands living in sordid tents and unused schools.
Hamas has been largely exhausted militarily and has lost almost all its best leaders in Gaza. This probably fears that the release of all hostages without obtaining a permanent ceasefire allowed Israel to launch an even more devastating campaign to finally destroy the group.
Israel fears that a ceasefire and a lasting withdrawal now leaves a significant influence in Gaza, even if it renounces formal power. Over time, Hamas could be able to rebuild its military power and ultimately launch more style attacks October 7.
Netanyahu also faces political constraints: her far -right coalition partners have threatened to lower her government if he ends the conflict too early. This would leave him more vulnerable to prosecution for long -standing corruption accusations and the investigations on failures surrounding the October 7 attack.
A broader resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, old decades seems more distant than ever.
The Palestinians are weak and divided, and the current government of Israel – the most nationalist and most religious in its history – is opposed to the Palestinian requests of a State in Gaza, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, territories that Israel occupied in the conflict of the Middle East of 1967.
The last serious peace talks failed over 15 years ago.
–Magdy reported in Cairo.
& Copy 2025 the Canadian press
