Hamas 'accepts in principle' Egypt's proposals to end Gaza war

Hamas is asking for a permanent ceasefire at end of the plan's timeline, Egyptian sources say

Smoke billows over Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip during Israeli bombardment on December 30, 2023. AFP

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Hamas leaders have accepted in principle Egyptian proposals to end the militant group’s war with Israel after talks with Egyptian mediators, sources told The National on Saturday.

They said Hamas leaders have withheld final approval pending guarantees that Israel would agree to a permanent ceasefire after the Egyptian plan’s two-month timeline ends.

The talks, which began on Friday, yielded a handful of minor changes to a draft of the proposals seen by The National on Wednesday, the sources said.

The latest draft, into which Qatar and the US had a significant input, was sent to Israel late on Friday, they said.

The sources said the latest draft might undergo further changes.

If accepted, the US, Egypt and Qatar would be the deal’s guarantors.

They said the proposed deal was likely to have clauses that would not be publicised, including some details on Gaza’s future governance and security after the fighting ends.

Likely to be kept confidential are security assurances demanded by Israel to ensure it would not suffer a repeat of the surprise October 7 attack by Hamas in southern Israel that left about 1,200 dead in the bloodiest day since its creation in 1948.

The attack and capture by Hamas of about 240 hostages resulted in a devastating response by Israel, whose bombardment of Gaza since has killed more than 21,000 people, laid to waste large parts of built-up areas in the territory and displaced nearly all of its 2.3 million residents.

Leading the Hamas delegation in the talks in Egypt is Ismail Haniyeh, the group’s political leader. The delegation includes Saleh Al Arouri and Ruhi Mushtahy, two confidants of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s leader in Gaza and Israel’s most wanted man.

As with the earlier version seen by The National, the latest proposals are made up of three stages.

The first provides for a 20-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release children, the elderly, women and the ailing from among the hostages it has held since it attacked southern Israel on October 7.

Israel would in return free Palestinians held in its jails, with the number to be agreed later. During the ceasefire, Israel would refrain from all aerial activity over Gaza, including drone and reconnaissance flights.

The earlier version of this stage stipulated a “humanitarian deal” of 10 days after a two-day truce, during which the warring sides would indirectly negotiate the exchange of Israeli hostages and Palestinian detainees. The remainder of the earlier version remained unchanged.

The second phase would last 10 days, during which the ceasefire would continue. Hamas would release Israeli women soldiers in exchange for another batch of Palestinians jailed in Israeli prisons. Israel would move its forces away from Gaza’s urban areas and allow substantial humanitarian assistance to enter the coastal enclave.

Gaza’s 2.3 million residents would also be allowed to move freely inside the territory except for areas where Israeli forces are stationed. The only change from the earlier version is that this phase would last 10 days rather than seven.

The third phase is a month-long window to negotiate a final prisoner and hostage swap that involves Hamas freeing Israeli male soldiers in return for a yet to be determined number of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile figures serving life sentences. Israel would also completely pull out from the densely packed strip.

It includes no changes from the earlier draft.

The talks between Hamas’s leaders and Egyptian mediators are taking place amid fierce Israeli tank fire and aerial bombing of Gaza’s southern city of Khan Younis after about 200 people were reported to have been killed in 24 hours in Israel's onslaught.

Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said troops were reaching Hamas command centres and arms depots. The Israeli military said it had destroyed a tunnel complex in the basement of one of the houses of Mr Sinwar in Gaza city.

Egypt, the US and Qatar had mediated a week-long truce between Hamas and Israel that ended on December 1. During that truce, a prisoner and hostages swap was put in place and humanitarian aid was allowed into Gaza.

Egypt, which in 1979 became the first Arab state to sign a peace treaty with Israel, borders both Gaza and Israel. It has maintained a working relationship with Hamas leaders despite its zero-tolerance policy for political Islam at home.

Like Egypt, Qatar is also a close US ally. It is home to Hamas’s political leaders and maintains informal links to Israel.