Netanyahu floundered at first, but is now on board with the cease-fire. Hamas initially pushed back, wanting a commitment to a full ceasefire and release of all Palestinian prisoners from the start.
There’s good reason to believe they’ll come around. The cease-fire agreement would result in a full cease-fire, and reconstruction aid in Gaza, provided the first two of three phases are met in good faith.
Biden said the first phase of the proposed deal would would last for six weeks and would include a “full and complete cease-fire,” a withdrawal of Israeli forces from all densely populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase would include the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers, and Israeli forces would withdraw from Gaza. “And as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments, the temporary cease-fire would become, in the words of the Israeli proposal, ‘the cessation of hostilities permanently,’” Biden said.
The third phase calls for the start of a major reconstruction of Gaza, which faces decades of rebuilding from devastation caused by the war. The 4-1/2 page Israeli proposal was transmitted to Hamas on Thursday.