Israel and Hamas at war | Negotiations for a truce in Gaza accelerate

(Doha) Negotiators gathered to reach a ceasefire in Gaza seek Wednesday to finalize an agreement, now “at the final stage” according to Qatar after 15 months of a war between Israel and Hamas which has killed dozens thousands of deaths in the Palestinian territory.

A few days before Donald Trump’s return to the White House on January 20, indirect discussions intensified in Doha with a view to a truce associated with the release of hostages held in Gaza since the attack by the Islamist movement Hamas against Israel on October 7, 2023, which started the war.

While the two parties are still making their demands, American President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sissi, during a call on Tuesday, urged them “to show the necessary flexibility,” according to the Egyptian presidency.

Qatar, the main mediating country with the United States and Egypt, said the negotiations were “at the final stage” with the “main issues” having been resolved, although it did not specify which ones.

“We hope this will lead to an agreement very soon,” said a spokesperson for Qatari diplomacy.

According to two sources close to Hamas, 33 hostages should be released during the first phase of the agreement in progress, in exchange for a thousand Palestinians detained by Israel. The captives would be released “in groups, starting with children and women,” according to one of them.

The Israeli government confirmed that it was seeking the release of “33 hostages” during the first stage, and was prepared to release “hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners.

“Time is running out”

The ongoing talks in Qatar are taking place with Hamas and Israeli negotiators present in two separate rooms, according to a source close to the talks.

In total, 251 people were kidnapped during the attack of October 7, 2023, which led to the death of 1,210 people on the Israeli side, the majority civilians, according to an AFP count based on official data.

At least 46,645 people, mostly civilians, have been killed in Israel’s military campaign of retaliation in the besieged Gaza Strip, which is in the grip of a humanitarian disaster, according to data from the Hamas Health Ministry, deemed reliable by the United Nations.

While Israel is increasing its deadly strikes in the territory, 61 people have died in 24 hours, according to the latest report from the ministry.

The Israeli army said it had targeted “Hamas terrorists”.

In Gaza, Nadia Moustafa Madi, a displaced person, prays for “a truce to be declared”. “I am ready to rebuild my life amid the rubble,” she says.

Since the start of the war, only a one-week truce has been observed at the end of November 2023, the negotiations carried out since coming up against the intransigence of the belligerents.

But international pressure has increased for a ceasefire associated with the release of the 94 hostages still held in Gaza, 34 of whom have died according to the Israeli army. Especially after Donald Trump promised “hell” to the region if the hostages were not released before his return to power.

“Time is running out, the living hostages will eventually die. Dead hostages risk being lost. We must act now,” said Gil Dickman, cousin of hostage Carmel Gat, during a rally Tuesday evening in Jerusalem.

Zone tampon

According to an Israeli official, negotiations for the second phase of the agreement will begin on “16^e day” after the entry into force of the first phase.

The second phase will concern the release of the last hostages, “i.e. soldiers and men of age to be mobilized and [le retour] bodies of dead hostages,” according to the Times of Israel.

Hamas said it wanted “a clear and comprehensive agreement”.

“We are close to the goal, but not there yet,” said an Israeli official. Israel will, however, “not leave Gaza until all the hostages have returned, the living and the dead,” he stressed.

According to Israeli media, Israel must maintain a “buffer zone” in the Gaza Strip during the first phase of the agreement.

Israeli forces should remain present up to “800 meters deep in the territory, in an area stretching from Rafah in the south to Beit Hanoun in the north,” according to a source close to Hamas.

According to Israeli commentators, Mr. Netanyahu ultimately decided to ignore pressure from his far-right ministers, hostile to a ceasefire.

“There is a real desire on our part to reach an agreement on the hostages,” assured Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in Rome. “If we succeed, we will have a majority in government that will support the agreement. »

Outgoing US Secretary of State Antony Blinken proposed on Tuesday sending an international security force to Gaza and placing the Palestinian territory under UN responsibility.

He also estimated that the Palestinian Authority, which holds partial administrative authority in the occupied West Bank, should regain control of Gaza in the future.