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Israel has given the Palestinian radical movement Hamas a week to accept a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages. If they don’t, the Israeli army will launch a ground operation in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip. Citing unnamed Egyptian officials, the American newspaper The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) wrote this today.
According to Egyptian officials, Cairo cooperated with Israel on the revised ceasefire proposal that it presented to Hamas last weekend. Hamas’s political leadership was expected to consult its military wing in the Gaza Strip on the proposal. However, the leader of Hamas in the Gaza Strip, Yahya Sinvár, who is believed to be hiding in the tunnels and making the final decisions, did not respond, according to WSJ sources.
According to Egyptian sources, Hamas is seeking a long-term ceasefire and guarantees from the US that Israel will respect the ceasefire. At the same time, Hamas officials have expressed concern that the latest ceasefire proposal is still too general and gives Israel the option to resume fighting.
The latest proposal calls for a 40-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release 33 of the hostages. Subsequently, it would be possible to negotiate a long-term ceasefire. In the next phase, which would include at least a six-week ceasefire, Hamas and Israel are expected to agree on the release of a larger group of hostages and another truce that could last up to a year.
According to Israel, there are still 129 hostages in the Gaza Strip, at least 35 of whom are dead. But Israeli and American officials privately estimate, according to the WSJ, that the number of dead hostages may be significantly higher. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office declined to comment on the development. Hamas also refused to comment on the matter. The US State Department did not immediately respond to WSJ’s request for comment.
