Britain proposes plan to achieve peace in Gaza
Britain has proposed a plan for achieving peace in Gaza (photo: GettyImages)
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron has proposed a long-term ceasefire plan to achieve peace in Gaza, according to the Financial Times.
The plan will be utilized to secure the release of hostages held in Gaza and for negotiations towards a permanent ceasefire, announced the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
It includes a proposal for the top leaders of Hamas in Gaza, including Yahya Sinwar, the mastermind of the October 7 attack that triggered the conflict, to leave the territory for another country.
"What we’re trying to do is cement the idea that when you get this pause, you’ve got to work hard to turn it into a lasting ceasefire, and to really focus on the realistic and achievable things that could actually make a ceasefire permanent and sustainable," stated Cameron.
The minister believes that the UK's plan complements other initiatives and has discussed it with the governments of the U.S., Europe, and Arab countries.
"And that you have to have a much clearer political horizon for a Palestinian state: a new Palestinian government for the West Bank and Gaza, and that Hamas must never again be able to attack Israel," the minister stated.
Despite challenges, Western and Arab officials are discussing the formation of a new Palestinian government with Palestinian leaders to have a reliable body to govern Gaza, which Hamas has controlled since 2007, and the West Bank. The idea is to have a technocratic administration with an empowered prime minister, officials said.
"Hamas’s political wing would be included in the process of forming the new government, as long as it accepted the existence of the Jewish state based on the borders before the 1967 war, when Israel occupied Gaza and the West Bank," stated Arab officials.
War in Israel
On October 7, Hamas militants invaded Israel, killing and kidnapping both military and civilian individuals. In response, Israel declared the commencement of Operation Iron Swords and shelled the locations of the terrorists.
On November 24, Israel signed a ceasefire agreement with Hamas and secured the release of hostages. The first group of hostages was released on the same day.
The ceasefire lasted until December 1. After that, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announced the termination of the agreement due to Hamas shelling Israeli territory.
On December 20, Israel proposed to the Palestinians to negotiate a new ceasefire lasting for one week. However, Hamas rejected the proposal.
Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant announced that the IDF would soon enter a new phase of the operation aimed at eliminating Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip.
It was also reported that Israel and Hamas were negotiating a ceasefire for a month, but differences persisted.
