Anthony Blinken at a press conference in Qatar/Reuters
Israel recently handed over to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators a "new framework" for the deal, which includes a willingness for a two-month truce in exchange for the return of all the abductees held by the organization in the Gaza Strip - so said two senior Israeli officials.
why is it important:
This is the most significant proposal that Israel has formulated since the beginning of the war in an attempt to bring about a breakthrough in the negotiations for the release of the abductees. Although the Israeli proposal rejects Hamas's demand for an end to the war, it includes a readiness for the longest ceasefire that Israel has agreed to so far.
In the news center:
More than 130 abductees are still being held in the Gaza Strip.
As for several dozen of them, it has already been determined that they were killed during the October 7 attack or in the months that have passed since then.
President Biden's senior adviser Brett McGurk arrived in Cairo today to hold talks on the talks for the release of the abductees.
He will continue from there to Qatar for further discussions on the issue.
The Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been trying for several weeks to bring the positions of the parties closer together and to bring about a breakthrough that would allow a deal to release the hostages.
Senior American officials admit that reaching a deal to release hostages is the only way to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
White House spokesman John Kirby said today (Monday) that President Biden supports a temporary ceasefire in the fighting in Gaza to allow the release of hostages and the introduction of additional humanitarian aid.
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Behind the Scenes:
Two senior Israeli officials said that the War Cabinet approved about ten days ago a "framework" that includes the principles of what Israel is willing to carry out and what it is not willing to carry out as part of a deal to release hostages.
According to the Israeli proposal, a deal for the release of the abductees would include the release of all the living abductees and the return of all the bodies that are in the hands of Hamas in several stages.
The first phase will include the release of the women who remain in captivity, of men over 60 years of age and of abductees who are in a serious medical condition.
The next steps will include the release of men under the age of 60, female soldiers, soldiers and members of standby classes and the return of bodies.
A senior Israeli noted that Israel proposed that the duration of the grace period for the purpose of completing the release of all the abductees in the various stages could be up to two months.
According to the proposal, Israel and Hamas will agree in advance on a "key" of how many Palestinian prisoners will be released in exchange for each Israeli abductee in each of the categories.
After that, there will be a separate negotiation in each of the stages on the names of the Palestinian prisoners to be released.
Senior Israeli officials said that the Israeli proposal includes a willingness to begin the redeployment of IDF forces in the Gaza Strip so that they gradually withdraw from large population centers, as well as to allow a gradual and controlled return of Palestinian residents to Gaza City and the northern Gaza Strip during the implementation of the deal.
The framework approved by the War Cabinet makes it clear that Israel will not agree to end the war upon the release of the abductees and will not agree to release all 6000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
between the lines:
Senior Israeli officials said that Israel is still waiting for Hamas's response to the proposal, but expressed cautious optimism that it would be possible to make progress in the negotiations based on the Israeli proposal.
Israeli officials said that Israel would be ready to release a very significant number of Palestinian prisoners if Hamas agreed to the offer.
They admitted that if the deal is implemented, the IDF's activity in the Gaza Strip after two months of truce will be significantly less in scope and intensity.
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