DEIR AL-BALA, Gaza (AP) — Hamas has initially endorsed a proposed U.S.-backed phased ceasefire agreement in Gaza but has backed away from a key demand: an upfront Israeli commitment to a full ceasefire.warHamas and Egyptian officials announced this on Saturday.
The apparent compromise by the militant group, which controlled Gaza before an Oct. 7 attack on Israel sparked war, could bring about a pause in fighting since last November and lay the groundwork for further talks to end nine months of devastating fighting. But all parties warned that an agreement was not yet guaranteed.
In the Gaza Strip, the Ministry of Health said an Israeli airstrike on a converted school in the Nuseirat refugee camp killed at least 16 people and injured at least 50, including children. The Israeli army said it had targeted several “terrorists” operating near the school in an attempt to reduce the risk to civilians.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing negotiations, said Washington’s phased agreement would begin with a “full and complete” six-week ceasefire. During the ceasefire, elderly, sick and female hostages would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. During that 42-day period, Israeli forces would withdraw from densely populated areas of Gaza and allow displaced people to return to their homes in northern Gaza, the officials said.
A senior Hamas official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations, later told The Associated Press that female fighters would be among those released in the first phase.
During that period, Hamas, Israel and the mediators will negotiate the terms of a second phase that would see the release of the remaining male hostages, including both civilians and soldiers, the first two officials said. In return, Israel would release additional Palestinian prisoners and detainees. A third phase would include the return of the remaining hostages, including the bodies of those who died, and the start of a multiyear reconstruction project.
Both officials said Hamas still wanted written assurances from the mediator that Israel would continue to negotiate a permanent ceasefire agreement after the first phase of the ceasefire takes effect.
A top Hamas official told The Associated Press that Hamas had received “verbal commitments and assurances” from mediators that hostilities would not resume and that negotiations would continue until a permanent ceasefire was reached.
“We now want these assurances in writing,” the official said.
Ceasefire talks, which have been taking place on and off for months, have been stalled by Hamas’ demand that any agreement include a complete end to the fighting. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has proposed pausing the fighting but not ending it until it has achieved Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas’ military and governance and returning all hostages held by the militant group.
Hamas has expressed concern that Israel would restart the war after the hostages are released, and Israeli officials have said they are worried that Hamas will not release all the hostages and will instead drag out the talks and the initial ceasefire indefinitely.
Netanyahu’s office did not respond to a request for comment, and there was no immediate comment from Washington. The Israeli prime minister acknowledged on Friday that the head of the Mossad spy agency had made a surprise visit to key intermediary Qatar, but his office said “rifts between the parties” remained.
“For the first time in months we feel hopeful,” the hostages’ families said in a statement. “Mr. Netanyahu, we have watched you sabotage the deal in real time time and time again. Please do not break our hearts again.” Anti-government protesters rallied again on Saturday night.
Israel launched its war in Gaza after Hamas invaded southern Israel in October and launched attacks that killed about 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and kidnapped about 250. Israel says Hamas is still holding about 120 hostages, about a third of whom are believed to have died.
Since then, Israeli air and ground strikes have killed more than 38,000 people in the Gaza Strip, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians. International officials say the attacks have caused widespread devastation and a humanitarian crisis, pushing hundreds of thousands to the brink of starvation.
The ceasefire will allow about 600 trucks carrying humanitarian supplies to enter Gaza each day, half of which will be destined for the hardest-hit northern part of the strip, the officials said. Very little aid has been entering the Gaza Strip since Israel launched an attack on the southernmost city of Rafah.
“We want to eat, but where will we get food from? The country is exhausted. The country is poor. It’s not fit to live in,” said Walid Hegazi, a resident of Jabaliya refugee camp in northern Gaza. “We feel sorry for the donkeys because we have eaten their wheat and barley.”
Also on Saturday, the Hamas-run Interior Ministry said four police officers were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Rafah. The ministry, which oversees the civilian police, said the officers were killed while on foot patrol. Eight other officers were wounded, the ministry said. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to questions.
Small-scale clashes between Israeli forces and Hezbollah continue. An Israeli military statement said an Israeli airstrike on a vehicle in the Baalbek region of eastern Lebanon killed a Hezbollah air defense technician, describing Meitham Mustafa al-Attar as a “key operative.” Hezbollah confirmed al-Attar’s death in a statement but did not disclose his status.
In recent weeks, the conflictNear-daily clashes have the potential to escalateTo total war.
___
Magdy reported from Cairo, Egypt. Associated Press writers Abby Sewell and Bassem Mrou in Beirut and Natalie Meltzer in Jerusalem contributed to this report.
