A new peace plan for Gaza. The US proposal, modified to include “a clearer guarantee” to conclude the war
A Palestinian-American mediator has brought an important amendment to the US Armistice plan between Israel and Hamas, including a clearer guarantee for the definitive cessation of the Gaza war.
A new armistice plan was developed between Israel and Hamas Photo: Archive
A new armistice plan in the Gaza strip, developed by the Palestinian-American mediator Bishara Bahbah, comes with a significant change to the previous proposal of the United States. According to an Arab source close to Bahbah, quoted by Agerpres, the modification aims to facilitate the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Hamas group.
“The new proposal includes a clearer guaranteealthough not final, for the end of the war in the Palestinian enclave in ruins”, The source said, which asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the subject.
Exchanges of prisoners and transparency in terms of hostages
According to the plan proposed by Bahbah, in the first phase of the agreement they would be released half of the hostages, whether they are alive or deceased. Instead, Israel would release 125 Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment, along with 1,111 prisoners from Gaza arrested after the Hamas attack of October 7, 2023. In addition, Israel will also return the corpses of 180 Palestinian prisoners, in a process held in two stages.
The plan requires even more transparency from Hamas: on the tenth day from the beginning of the agreement, the group would offer a complete list of hostages still alive, accompanied by detailed medical reports on their condition.
Humanitarian aid and UN involvement
Another important point in the proposal is to relaunch the humanitarian aid to Gaza, which would be managed by the United Nations and international organizations, to meet the needs of the civilian population affected by the conflict.
Differences to US initial plan
The initial plan, drafted by Steve Witkoff, the special US messenger in the Middle East, provided for a cessation of 60 -day fire, a period when 10 living hostages and 18 dead were to be released, in two stages.
However, the Israeli press pointed out that Witkoff's document did not contain any explicit request for Israel to permanently end the military operations or to withdraw its troops from Gaza, two essential conditions required by Hamas.
“Hamas has always insisted that he will not sign any agreement that does not respond to his two main requests: the definitive cessation of fire and the complete withdrawal of the Israeli troops in Gaza. “
