THE world is waiting with bated breath as Israel is on the brink of striking a deal with Hamas and putting an end to the war.
The crucial talks between the two warring sides continue but officials say the ceasefire deal is imminent sparking hopes that the remaining hostages will return home soon.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is likely to accept the peace deal[/caption]
Hamas has accepted a draft agreement for a peace deal in the Gaza Strip and the release of dozens of hostages.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the peace deal is “right on the brink” and could happen “within hours”.
He added: “I believe we will get a ceasefire. It’s right on the brink. It’s closer than ever, and word could come within hours or days.”
The peace deal is expected to work in three phases and will start with the release of 33 hostages in return for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
An official said the hostages released at first would be those “in very bad shape” while the rest of those held in Gaza would follow.
The list also includes the youngest Israeli hostage Kfir Bibas, who celebrated his first birthday as a captive inside Gaza.
THREE-PHASE AGREEMENT
The three-phase agreement laid out by the US would begin with the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas over six weeks.
This would include women, children, older adults and wounded civilians in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian women and children imprisoned by Israel.
Israel assumes most of the 33 are alive.
Among them would be five female Israeli soldiers, each to be released in exchange for 50 Palestinian prisoners, including 30 militants who are serving life sentences in Israeli prisons.
During this 42-day phase, Israeli forces would withdraw from population centres, Palestinians could start returning to what remains of their homes in northern Gaza and there would be a surge of humanitarian aid, with some 600 trucks entering each day.
In the second phase, Hamas would release the remaining living captives, mainly male soldiers, in exchange for more prisoners and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, according to the draft agreement.
Hamas has said it will not free the remaining hostages without an end to the war and a complete Israeli withdrawal, while Netanyahu has vowed in the past to resume fighting until Hamas’s military and governing capabilities are eliminated.
In a third phase, the bodies of remaining hostages would be returned in exchange for a three- to five-year reconstruction plan for Gaza under international supervision.
Mediators from the United States and Qatar said Israel and Hamas were at the closest point yet to sealing a deal to bring them a step closer to ending 15 months of war.
Nearly 100 people are still captive inside Gaza, but the Israeli military believes at least a third are dead.
Any deal is expected to pause the fighting and bring hopes for winding down the deadly and destructive war that has destabilised the Middle East and sparked worldwide protests.
If a deal is reached, the plan would need approval from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Security Cabinet and then his full Cabinet.
Both are dominated by Netanyahu’s allies and are likely to approve any proposal he presents.
The Israeli official said detailed negotiations on the second phase will begin during the first.
He said Israel would retain some assets throughout negotiations, referring to a military presence, and would not leave the Gaza Strip until all hostages were home.
The United States, Qatar and Egypt have worked for more than a year on talks to end the war in Gaza but to no avail.
But they now suggest they can agree ahead of the January 20 inauguration of Donald Trump.
Trump said “there has been a handshake”, sparking hope a peace deal between Israel and Hamas is imminent.
The deal is hoped to pave the way for the end of the conflict in the Middle East after 15 months of fighting.
List of hostages Hamas says will release
WOMEN AND CHILDREN:
- Romi Gonen, 23
- Emily Damari, 27
- Arbel Yehud, 29
- Doron Steinbrecher, 31
- Ariel Bibas, 5
- Kfir Bibas, 1
- Shiri Silberman Bibas, 33
- Liri Albag, 19
- Karina Ariev, 20
- Agam Berger, 21
- Danielle Gilboa, 20
- Naama Levy, 20
REST OF THE MEN:
- Ohad Ben-Ami, 58
- Gadi Moshe Moses, 80
- Keith Siegel, 65
- Ofer Calderon, 54
- Eli Sharabi, 52
- Itzik Elgarat, 70
- Shlomo Mansour, 86
- Ohad Yahalomi, 50
- Youssef Hamis Ziyadne, 54
- Oded Lifshitz, 84
- Tsahi Idan, 50
Source: Times of Israel
Blinken on Tuesday was making a last-minute case for a proposal for Gaza’s postwar reconstruction and governance that outlines how it could be run without Hamas in charge.
Meanwhile, details of the second phase still must be negotiated during the first, it has emerged.
Those details remain difficult to resolve including written guarantees that the ceasefire will continue until a deal is reached.
That means Israel could resume its military campaign after the first phase ends.
The Israeli official said detailed negotiations on the second phase will begin during the first.
TRUMP’S PRESSURE
Israel and Hamas have come under renewed pressure to halt the war before Trump’s inauguration.
Trump said on Monday a ceasefire was very close.
Asked to give an update during an interview with the Newsmax network, the President-elect said: “We are very close to getting it done. They have to get it done.”
Trump also threatened Hamas saying “there would be a lot of trouble” if the deal fell out.
He added: “If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there – a lot of trouble like they have never seen before. They will get it done.
“I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week, but it has to take place.”
Trump said on Monday a ceasefire was very close[/caption]
FIERCE OPPOSITION
Israel’s National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir sparked an outcry when he claimed he had repeatedly foiled a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas over the past year.
He previously said he would bring down the government instead of signing a peace deal.
Meanwhile, thousands of Israelis rallied in Tel Aviv on Tuesday night in support of a deal they have long encouraged.
Moran Stella Yanai, a hostage released earlier, said: “This is not about politics or strategy. It’s about humanity and the shared belief that no one should be left behind in darkness.”
In Jerusalem, hundreds of hard-liners marched against a deal, some chanting, You dont make a deal with the devil, a reference to Hamas.
In the October 7 attack, Hamas-led militants killed more 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducted another 250.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 46,000 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants.
