New Israel-Hamas ceasefire plan: AP uncovers key details
Photo: Israel discusses ceasefire with Hamas (Getty Images)
Israel has sent a negotiating delegation to Qatar to discuss a new ceasefire agreement in Gaza, reports the Associated Press.
It happened on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's planned meeting with Donald Trump in the United States.
According to the Associated Press, Hamas has submitted a new written proposal to mediators, which provides for a 60-day ceasefire.
During this period, the group must release 10 living and hand over the bodies of 18 dead hostages.
Israel, in turn, will withdraw its troops to a buffer zone along Gaza's borders and allow the delivery of large amounts of humanitarian aid.
Ceasefire
The document must refer to Donald Trump's personal guarantee that Israel will comply with the terms of the ceasefire. This should reassure Hamas after the events of March when Israel unilaterally suspended its participation in the ceasefire.
But the agreement does not guarantee a complete end to the war - negotiations on a permanent ceasefire should continue for the full 60 days.
Meanwhile, according to reports, at least 38 Palestinians have been killed in new Israeli air strikes.
Despite the negotiations, Israeli air strikes on Gaza continue. The attacks on residential buildings in Gaza City killed 20 people and injured 25 others.
Another 18 people were killed in a tent camp in the Mawasi area of southern Gaza. At least two families were among the dead.
Meanwhile, the Israeli government has approved sending humanitarian aid to the north of the enclave.
This decision was made after a long blockade that lasted since March. Previously, most of the aid had only reached the southern part of the territory.
Negotiations continue amid a split between the parties.
Hamas insists on a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops and a guarantee of an end to the war, while Netanyahu has said that Israel's goal is to completely dismantle Hamas' military and political structure.
Before the new negotiations
On the eve of Donald Trump's inauguration in January, the parties reached a temporary ceasefire. However, it was broken in March, and the fighting in Gaza resumed.
Recently, Donald Trump said that Israel had agreed to the proposed terms of a 60-day ceasefire. After that, Reuters reported, citing Hamas representatives, that it positively assessed the updated proposal and was ready to start negotiations immediately.
However, the new phase of negotiations was again threatened with disruption. According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli side criticized the latest amendments that Hamas proposed to the agreement.
Netanyahu's government said that the changes submitted earlier were unacceptable to Israel.
Read more about the three key changes put forward by Hamas in RBC-Ukraine's report.
