Two terrorist organizations committed to violently resisting Israel have issues with a proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war. As does Israel's coalition government.
Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) have so far rejected a plan by the Egyptian government that would require them to relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a permanent cease-fire.
Egyptian security forces confirmed the proposal's precarious status to the world's press on Christmas Day.
The Iranian government provides support to a number of Palestinian organizations, most prominently Hamas and PIJ. Those groups were behind the Oct. 7 terror attack on Israel. Despite the bloodshed in Gaza, they oppose critical aspects of the multi-step truce, including the formation of a new Palestinian parliament.
Israeli officials confirmed the plan's existence to The Times of Israel, which would begin with an immediate cease-fire followed by the release of 40 to 50 of the most vulnerable Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of three times the number of young, old and infirm Palestinian prisoners currently detained by Israel:
The second phase would see an Egypt-sponsored “Palestinian national talk” aimed at ending the division between Palestinian factions — mainly the Fatah party-dominated Palestinian Authority and Hamas — and leading to the formation of a technocratic government in the West Bank and Gaza that would oversee the reconstruction of the Strip and pave the way for Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections.
The third stage would include a comprehensive ceasefire, the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, including soldiers, in return for a to-be-determined number of Palestinian security prisoners in Israeli jails affiliated with Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad terror group — including those arrested after October 7 and some convicted of serious terror offenses. In this phase, Israel would withdraw its forces from cities in the Gaza Strip and allow displaced Gazans from the enclave's north to return to their homes.
But a Hamas representative in Cairo told Reuters that Hamas would only discuss another prisoner swap with Israel after the Israel Defense Forces completely withdraw from Gaza.
“We also said that the aid for our people must keep going and must increase, and it must reach all the population in the north and the south,” they persisted, speaking freely on the condition of anonymity. “After the aggression is stopped and the aid increased, we are ready to discuss prisoner swaps.”
For his part, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu remains committed to his objective of annihilating Hamas. In a video statement released on Christmas Eve, Netanyahu said: “We will continue to fight until complete victory over Hamas. That is the only way to bring back the hostages, to eliminate Hamas and to ensure that Gaza will no longer be a threat to Israel.”
Israel has come under increasing international pressure for a ceasefire, due to concerns over the mounting civilian toll in Gaza. However, the United National Security Council on Friday approved a resolution, after protracted negotiations to avoid the US exercising its veto power, that did not demand a ceasefire.
The Hamas-run Gaza health ministry claims more than 20,000 people have been killed in the Strip during the war, an unverified figure. Israel says it assesses troops have killed some 8,000 terror operatives. Another 1,000 Hamas terrorists were killed in Israel on October 7, during the terror group's onslaught.
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