Vern Evans
Israel has offered a ceasefire deal to Hamas, that will temporarily stop the fighting in Gaza. The proposal includes a 40-day truce in return for the release of hostages and the prospect of displaced families being allowed back to northern Gaza.
The ceasefire offer also reportedly involves new wording on restoring the calm meant to satisfy Hamas’s demand for a permanent ceasefire. The Hamas delegation has now left Cairo and will return with a written response to the proposal, Egypt’s state-affiliated Al Qahera TV said according to a report by the BBC.
More than 34,480 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Medical aid from Egypt, Qatar, and the United States has been stuck for weeks as attempts to broker a new agreement that would secure another pause in the fighting and the release of the 133 hostages whom Israel says are still being held, at least 30 of whom are presumed dead.
Earlier this month, Hamas rejected an Israeli proposal that called for a six-week truce and the release of 40 women, children, and elderly or sick hostages in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
It certainly appears that Israel is extending the peace offering, and putting on Hamas to accept, however, the terrorist group seems unwilling, even though they end up with the better end of the deal and the bombings will stop, at least temporarily.
Hamas said it was sticking to its demands for a permanent ceasefire that would lead to a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes. But that’s probably unlikely considering Israel’s goal is to eliminate Hamas.
Israel Doubles Down On Its Goal To Eliminate Hamas
Israeli officials and a diplomat meanwhile told the New York Times and Financial Times on Monday that Israel was also prepared to reduce the number of hostages released during the first phase to 33, down from 40.
Read the full article here