Hamas affirmed his desire to reach an agreement to end two years of war in Gaza and carry out an “immediate” exchange of hostages and prisoners with Israel, before indirect negotiations between the two belligerents in Egypt, this Monday, October 6.
Almost a week after presenting a peace plan for the Palestinian territory devastated by the offensive launched by Israel after the bloody attack and unprecedented in Hamas on October 7, 2023, Donald Trump exerted pressure on the negotiators.
He called them to “move quickly” during these planned discussions in the Egyptian Coastal Complex of Encant El-Cheikh, in the Sinai (East) that must begin on the eve of the second anniversary of the attack.
“They told me that the first phase should be completed this week,” said US President, who sent his emissary Steve Witkoff and his son -in -law Jared Kushner to Egypt, reporting “very positive discussions (…) This weekend with Hamas and countries around the world (Arabs, Muslims and others).”
The American plan at the base of the negotiations provides a high fire, the release within 72 hours of the hostages eliminated during the attack of October 7, the retraction by stages of the Israeli army of Gaza and the disarmament of the Islamist movement.
Negotiations scheduled for Monday
In his response, Hamas did not mention the question of his disarmament, a key point of the proposal, claiming that he intended to participate in any discussion about Gaza’s future and insisting on the need for “total Israeli retirement.” However, the plan excludes any role of Hamas “in the Gaza government” and foresees the exile of its combatants.
“Hamas is very anxious to reach an agreement to end the war and immediately begin the process of exchanging prisoners (hostages for Palestinian detainees),” said an Islamist movement in the AFP under the coverage of anonymity.
Its main negotiator, Khalil Al-Hayya, arrived in Egypt on Sunday night at the head of a delegation, announced the Palestinian Islamist movement, specifying that the discussions would begin with “the mechanisms of high fire, the withdrawal of the occupation forces and an exchange of prisoners.”
The meetings scheduled for Monday will be the first in which Khalil Al-Hayya has participated since Israel has attacked it, as well as other Hamas leaders, during the strikes in Doha last month.
The Israeli delegation will go to the El-Cheikh charm on Monday, according to the office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The latter claims to support the Trump Plan, while specifying that its army will remain in the majority of the Gaza Strip, which now controls around 75%.
The US president said on Saturday that Israel had accepted a first “retirement line” at a distance of 1.5 to 3.5 km within the Palestinian territory. As soon as Hamas has accepted it, a high fire “will immediately enter into force.”
“Suspend any military operation”
In the case of negotiations, “we will resume the fight,” he warned the head of the children of the Israeli army Eyal Zamir. On Sunday, the Israeli army continued its bombing in Gaza, killing at least 20 people according to the local civil defense, a rescue service that operates under the authority of Hamas.
Hamas stressed to the mediators “the need for Israel to suspend any military operation throughout the Gaza Strip, to cease all aerial activities, recognition and over-theotensions of drones and withdraw from the interior of Gaza-Ville.” At the same time, “Hamas and resistance factions will end their military operations.”
In case of agreement, Israeli bombings “will stop,” said American diplomacy Marco Rubio.
The attack of October 7 brought to the Israeli side the death of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an evaluation established by the AFP of the official data. Of the 251 people kidnapped that day, 47 are still hostage in Gaza, 25 of which died according to the army.
The Israeli reprisal offensive made at least 67,139 dead in Gaza, mainly civil, according to figures from the Ministry of Hamas, reliable according to the UN. The organization has declared famine in a part of Gaza and its researchers claim that Israel commits a genocide in the Palestinian territory. Accusations rejected by Israel.
Source: BFM TV
