Netanyahu scraps ceasefire plan with Hamas that called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza for six weeks

The Israeli leader also stated that he will reject any ceasefire that demands the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.

Israel Defense Forces soldiers conducting a military operation in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday. Fotografia: IDF/GPO/SIPA/Rex/Shutterstock

Amid persistent tensions in the Middle East region, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared this Tuesday (30) that he will reject any proposal for a ceasefire demanding the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners or the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Meanwhile, Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh expressed willingness to travel to Cairo to discuss the proposals. Haniyeh reaffirmed the group's objective of ending Israel's military offensive in Gaza and ensuring the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

While it is known that Israel will face difficulties in accepting these conditions, Egypt, Qatar and the United States are watching to see if both sides can be persuaded to accept a ceasefire lasting at least one month, providing the opportunity for the release of almost all of the hostages.

Current Context

Earlier, as reported by the "New York Times", the terrorist group Hamas was considering a plan to ceasefire that could result in the release of most Israeli hostages still in the group's custody. Under the terms of the proposal, Israel would not commit to completely ending the war against Hamas, but rather to suspend attacks for a period of six weeks.

Although the proposal was not publicly released, information about its content was released by news agencies and press outlets. The plan was conceived by leaders of the spy agencies of the United States, Israel, Egypt and the prime minister of Qatar. Although the general terms of the ceasefire agreement had been under discussion since December, it was only after the conversation between David Barnea, the director of Mossad (the Israeli intelligence agency), and representatives of the United States and Egypt last Sunday that the The Israeli government agreed to the terms, however, officially, the Israeli government has not yet commented on the proposal.

Stop Fire

The plan consisted of three stages. According to reports from news agencies, the execution of the first phase would be subject to Hamas' approval. However, the group expressed interest in ending the conflict, not just establishing a ceasefire. The Prime Minister of Qatar, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, stated that Hamas' reaction is still unknown.

According to the Reuters news agency, Hamas sent the text to its leaders in the Gaza Strip. After that, a discussion between them is scheduled to reach a decision. Ismail Haniyeh, one of the leaders of Hamas, said the group was receptive to ideas that would lead to an end to the Israeli offensive and that he intended to travel to Cairo to discuss the terms.

Hostage Release

The proposal comprised three phases, the first of which was the release of 35 hostages in exchange for a six-week pause in fighting. Currently, more than 100 Israeli hostages are under Hamas control. According to the proposal, the first hostages to be released would be injured people, including men, children and the elderly, as indicated by Hamas. In return, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinians from its prisons. The second stage would focus on soldiers and women, while the third stage would be exclusively dedicated to releasing the bodies of deceased hostages.

According to information from the Reuters news agency, Egyptian government sources say that three countries would commit to pressuring Hamas to comply with the agreement: Egypt, Qatar and Jordan. On the other hand, the countries responsible for ensuring that Israel respects the terms are the United States and France.