Gaza fire break: As close as it has been for months-current information

Gaza fire break: As close as it has been for months-current information

President Donald Trump optimistically commented on the possibility of an armistice in Gaza and said that one could possibly have reached an agreement next week after Hamas had announced that "a positive answer" was given for a proposal for a 60-day waffle rest with Israel.

The pressure on Israel

"We have to get it behind," said Trump on Friday. "We have to do something against Gaza." Israel and Hamas have long had contradictory demands that the intermediaries have so far not been able to bridge. But with the agreement on a revised proposal, an agreement seems to be within reach for the first time in months.

The new efforts took off after a ceasefire between Iran and Israel has been agreed, and reflect the pressure of the United States and a shift in Israel's war goals. The Federal Government of Israel is increasingly facing international criticism because the war causes considerable humanitarian suffering in Gaza.

Current developments in the Gazakonflict

Israel imposed a total blockade of humanitarian deliveries in the Gaza Strip. This was loosened up a bit in May after a large number of global experts had warned that hundreds of thousands of people could soon starve. In the past few days, hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli air strikes. Humanitarian aid is overshadowed by violence, with many people trying to maintain food from the controversial US Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

The pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not only grows internationally, but also within Israel. While his government is supported by extreme right -wing politicians who are calling for an escalation of the conflict, the opposition leader Yair Lapid said that he was ready to support the coalition government to enable a deal to release hostages. Polls show that the majority of the population supports a deal to return home, even if this means the end of the war.

The demands of Israel

Netanyahu, while he is sticking to his maximum targets - the disarmament of Gaza and the disgrace of Hamas military skills - has carried out a rhetorical change of meaning. For the first time, he prioritized the return of the hostages over what he previously called the "top goal" of the defeat of Hamas.

"Many options have opened up," said Netanyahu in relation to the military operations of Israel in Iran. "First we have to free the hostages. Of course we also have to solve the Gaza problem and defeat Hamas, but I think we will meet both missions." These statements were positively received by the families of the hostages that had accused him of not clearly naming the main goal of the release of their relatives.

position of Hamas

Hamas announced on Friday that "she submitted a positive answer to the intermediaries and is ready to immediately enter into negotiations on the implementation of this framework." The militant group calls for a permanent end to the fights, humanitarian support from the United Nations and a withdrawal of Israel to the positions that it held on March 2 of this year before the offensive was renewed. A high-ranking Hamas representative said that the group was “ready to return the hostages within a day-we just want to guarantee that the war will not come back afterwards.”

content of the proposed agreement

Although the exact details of the proposal have not yet been published, it is clear that the revised plan is trying to bridge some of the differences between Israel and Hamas. A source that is familiar with the negotiations reported that the latest proposals provide the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages over the full period of 60 days.

Similar to previous ceasefire, Hamas would release eight living hostages on the first day of the ceasefire. In return, Israel would release an indefinite number of Palestinian prisoners and withdraw its troops from previously agreed locations in northern Gaza. Humanitarian aid would flow to Gaza immediately at the beginning of the ceasefire, similar to the previous ceasefire, which started on January 19th.

Review of previous ceasefire

In the 21 months of war between Israel and Hamas, there were only nine weeks of ceasefire. More than 57,000 people, including over 17,000 children, have been killed during the fights in Gaza, according to the Ministry of Health of the Palestinians.

The first ceasefire came into force in November 2023, but only held a week. During this time, 105 hostages from Gaza were released, in exchange for numerous Palestinian prisoners. A second ceasefire was only reached in January 2025, shortly before Trump moved back into the White House.

While the agreement is still pending on another ceasefire, there is hope for peace in the region.