Director of the Central Intelligence Agency William Burns, who is participating in the talks in Cairo, has presented a new proposal that will help advance an agreement between Israel and Hamas to end the war in Gaza and release hostages. UNN writes about this with reference to The Wall Street Journal.
Details
According to the plan, Hamas will release 40 of the more than 100 hostages still being held in Gaza in exchange for the release of 900 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons, including 100 convicted on terrorism charges.
The United States has also proposed allowing Palestinian civilians to return to northern Gaza without restriction from the south, where they have been displaced since the conflict began in October. Israel has been reluctant to agree to this, fearing that Hamas fighters will mix with civilians and return to areas that Israel says it has already cleared. Earlier, Israeli negotiators proposed allowing 60,000 Palestinians to return.
According to the plan, Palestinians who are allowed to return will be granted the right to move freely along two major north-south roads, and Israeli troops will be redeployed at a distance of almost a third of a mile from these roads.
The proposal also requires Hamas to provide a list of 40 hostages it will release, including five female soldiers, and to compromise on the release of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
So far, there has been no reaction from Hamas.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday that he had received a detailed report on the talks in Cairo. He reaffirmed his goal of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas, which he said requires entering Rafah, the last city in southern Gaza where Israel has not yet entered.