The Israeli Security Cabinet met Tuesday night to discuss a peace proposal presented by Egypt, with a wider group of ministers as pressure grows to secure the release of hostages.
It was reported earlier Wednesday that hostage-relief efforts are a top priority in negotiations. However, Israeli officials remain skeptical as they state it is highly unlikely for Israel to accept any deal that would still allow a role for Hamas after the war. The Wall Street Journal also revealed Israel is willing to discuss the first stage of the Egyptian proposal, which would see Hamas release 40-50 of the 129 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Israel's release of 120-150 Palestinian prisoners.
A cease-fire deal shared with Israel, Hamas, Qatar, and the U.S., last week outlines the formation of a transitional, technocratic government for the Gaza Strip as well as the West Bank, that would comprise multiple Palestinian factions, including rivals Hamas and Fatah. The article also reported that once the transitional government goes into effect, elections would be held to determine Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas' new successor. A current senior official in the Fatah-led Palestinian Authority, as well as a top liaison to the Israeli Government, Hussein al-Sheik is in consideration as a potential successor.
While the Palestine Liberation Organization is the Palestinians' political representative internationally, the Palestinian Authority serves as the government of Palestinians in the West Bank. It was also revealed in the article that Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas, is said to be highly unlikely to accept a deal that would relinquish his power upon the release of Israeli hostages. Israel has determined that 22 of the 129 hostages currently being held are no longer alive. A delegation from the executive committee of the PLO is expected to travel to Cairo to discuss the proposal at length. This includes a potential and unified government that would run the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, said committee member, Ahmed Majdalani.
Danny Danon, a senior lawmaker in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party, stated "The first phase is something we were willing to start a dialogue or negotiation about," whilst speaking about the later stages, he added, "We are very determined to make sure that Hamas will not be part of any future agreement in Gaza."
What Is Next?
Netanyahu, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and Benny Gantz, who are the three voting members of Israel's war cabinet have said that Hamas cannot be permitted to remain in power after the attack on Israel on Oct. 7, which Israel says around 1,200 people were killed and around 240 others were abducted and taken to Gaza.
Israel's Minister for Strategic Affairs Ron Dermer met with Secretary of State Antony Blinken and national security adviser Jake Sullivan in Washington on Tuesday said a White House official, to discuss various topics including steps on how to improve the humanitarian situation, efforts to release the remaining hostages, and a post-war plan regarding the governance of Gaza and the political future for the Palestinian People.
According to Reuters, Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have already rejected the Egyptian proposal. Izzat al-Rishq, a member of Hamas' political bureau said, "There can be no negotiations without a complete stop to the aggression." Reuters went on to report that Egypt assured Hamas that its members would not be chased or prosecuted, however, the Islamist group rejected any concessions other than hostage releases.
While both sides consider their course of action, Israeli forces are said to have struck over 100 targets in a militant operation in Gaza. According to the Palestinian Authority information agency, Wafa, airstrikes took place in Rafah where hundreds of Palestinians have fled upon receiving instructions from Israel. Reuters went on to report that the Rafah border serves as an entrance for aid and has been said to be the least likely to be hit by attacks.
Israel's approach to Rafa is also a call to action to dismantle smuggling infrastructure around the Egyptian border to ensure there is no continuance of Oct. 7.
More than 20,000 Palestinians, most of whom are women and children, have been killed in Gaza since the war began according to the health authorities. According to the U.N. 2 million of 2.2 million Gaza residents have been displaced. U.N. Secretary-General António Guterres announced the appointment of veteran Dutch diplomat and politician Sigrid Kaag to the new position of U.N. coordinator for the humanitarian response in Gaza in hopes of bringing significant aid to the strip amidst the humanitarian crisis.
