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- Mediators are rushing to finalise a new truce in war-torn Gaza.
- The truce is expected to last 42 days according to a proposal still to be finalised, said a source in Hamas.
- Around 250 hostages were taken during the Hamas attack, of whom 130 are still in Gaza, although some 31 are thought to be dead, Israel says.
Mediators are rushing to finalise a new truce in war-torn Gaza, and recent statements from US President Joe Biden and other world leaders suggest a breakthrough could be near.
But less than two weeks before the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan – frequently cited as the targeted deadline – the exact terms of a possible deal remain unclear.
Sources describe a plan for a six-week halt in fighting and the release of scores of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, as well as stepped up aid for besieged Gaza.
Here is what we know about the proposed ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian militant movement Hamas whose 7 October attack set off the Gaza war.
How long would it last?
Biden, speaking to reporters on Monday, said an agreement “in principle” would last through Ramadan, which starts on 10 March or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.
Qatar, which hosts Hamas’s political bureau, is “hopeful, not necessarily optimistic” for a deal before Ramadan as the situation “is still fluid on the ground”, a foreign ministry spokesperson said on Tuesday.
The truce is expected to last 42 days according to a proposal still to be finalised, said a source in Hamas, who declined to be named because of the sensitivity of the subject.
Hamas has been pressing for a permanent withdrawal of Israeli military forces from the Gaza Strip, and the source said the truce could potentially be “renewed”.
Biden said Israel “would not engage in activities during Ramadan”, while the Hamas source said Israeli forces would withdraw “from cities and populated areas” in Gaza.
That would allow some displaced Gazans to return to their homes, the Hamas source said, while noting that men between the ages of 18 and 50 would not be able to.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, has indicated Israel will stick to its goal of ultimately eliminating Hamas in response to the group’s unprecedented 7 October attack.
The attack resulted in the deaths of around 1 160 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s military campaign has killed at least 29 878 people, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-ruled territory’s health ministry.
Who would be released?
The only previous truce in the war – which lasted for one week in November – saw the release of more than 100 hostages, including 80 Israelis, seized during the 7 October attack.
Some 240 Palestinians jailed in Israel were also freed.
READ | Qatar pushing for Gaza ‘pause’ before Ramadan: foreign ministry
Around 250 hostages were taken during the Hamas attack, of whom 130 are still in Gaza, although some 31 are thought to be dead, Israel says.
Under the proposal for a new truce, the Hamas source said, the group would release 42 Israelis – women and children under 18 years of age along with sick and elderly people.
Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange at a 10-to-one ratio, the source said.
What would it mean for aid?
Mounting international pressure for a new truce comes amid dire warnings about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and concern about an expected Israeli invasion of far-southern Rafah.
Netanyahu has warned that any truce deal would merely delay, not prevent, a ground invasion of Rafah, where around 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge.
The latest truce proposal envisions between 400 and 500 aid trucks entering Gaza each day, the Hamas source said.
That would be up from an average of just over 100 trucks per day in recent weeks, according to Amnesty International.
The truce period would also see efforts to bring hospitals, bakeries and water stations back online, the Hamas source said.
Israel’s Channel 12 has reported that Mossad chief David Barnea told the cabinet that a failure to increase humanitarian aid would torpedo the truce deal.
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