US President Joe Biden in late May announced a three-step plan to end the war in Gaza, a proposal Hamas wants to see implemented rather than enter into new talks starting on Thursday, which Israel has agreed to.
The plan, which Biden described as an Israeli proposal, has been under intense discussion over the past several weeks while the war in Gaza continues.
Last week Israel – which has been slow to publicly acknowledge the deal – said it was ready for new talks on the proposal.
But just days later, it launched a deadly attack on a school for displaced people in Gaza, killing at least 93 people, rescue workers in the Palestinian territory said.
The Israeli military says 19 Palestinian militants were killed in the attack, while Israeli news website Walla quoted the military as saying 38 militants were killed.
AFP has been unable to independently confirm the death toll.
Israel’s move to enter a new round of talks, which will likely be held in Cairo or Doha, comes less than two weeks after Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh – who was overseeing ceasefire talks – was assassinated in an attack in Tehran that was widely blamed on Israel.
Below are details of the planning that followed Haniya’s murder, along with statements from the parties and brokers.
First step
Biden said the first phase includes a six-week-long “full and total ceasefire” under which Israeli forces would withdraw from “all populated areas of Gaza.”
Hamas will release “many” hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, including American citizens captured in attacks on Israel on October 7. The remains of some of the hostages who were killed will also be returned.
In exchange, hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released.
Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their “homes and neighborhoods” in Gaza, most of which have been devastated by Israeli bombing.
Humanitarian aid will reach up to 600 trucks entering Gaza daily, while the international community will supply millions of temporary shelters and housing units.
During an initial six-week period, Israel and Hamas would “negotiate the arrangements necessary to reach the second phase, which is a permanent end to hostilities”.
Biden said the ceasefire would be extended as long as talks continue, and that mediators the United States, Egypt and Qatar would work to ensure it holds.
step 2
Under the second phase of the plan, Israeli forces will completely withdraw from Gaza, which will last for the next six weeks.
Hamas will release “all remaining hostages”, including male Israeli soldiers. This has been a key issue for Hamas in the past.
Biden cited the proposal as saying that if both sides stick to the agreement, it would “permanently end hostilities.”
third step
A major reconstruction and stabilization plan for Gaza will be launched, supported by the US and the international community.
Biden said he would work with regional partners to ensure this happens in a way that “denies Hamas the opportunity to re-arm.”
A senior US official said the reconstruction phase would take three to five years.
The last remains of any hostages killed would be returned in the third phase.
What if something goes wrong?
Biden said that if Hamas “fails to meet its commitments under the agreement, Israel could resume military operations”.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said that the best way to secure the release of the hostages is to maintain military pressure on Hamas.
However, Biden said Egypt and Qatar would work to ensure Hamas stuck to the terms, while the United States would do the same for Israel.
Who says what?
Hamas said late Sunday that any further talks would essentially “provide cover for the occupier (Israel) and give it more time to continue its war of genocide against Gazans.”
Israel has not yet responded to Hamas’ latest call to implement the agreement.
Following Haniyeh’s killing, mediator Qatar immediately criticised Israel.
“Political assassinations in Gaza and the continued targeting of civilians while negotiations are ongoing force us to question how mediation can succeed when one side assassinates the other side’s negotiator? Peace requires serious partners,” Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani said on X, hours after Haniyeh’s killing.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
