Is there light at the end of the tunnel finally?
The war between Israel and Hamas which has been raging on for more than 10 months, has left more than 40,000 Palestinians dead in Gaza, according to the health ministry there. Hamas-run Gaza has been bombarded by Israeli forces for months since the Palestinian militant group's deadly rampage in southern Israel on October 7 last year, which left more than 1,000 dead, according to Israel.
With pressure from the international communities mounting on both parties to end the bloody war, a ceasefire proposal is being finalised to end the fighting. The talks are also crucial to prevent larger regional conflict, given the increase in hostilities between Iran and Israel, after the killing of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran on July 31.
Where are the ceasefire talks being held?
The latest round of talks, which began on Thursday and continued on Friday, are being held in Doha, Qatar. The mediators and the parties concerned will meet in Cairo next week in a bid to finalise the deal to end the fighting.
Who are the mediators, and who attended the talks?
Qatar, Egypt and the US have been trying since November to broker a ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas. Though Israel sent a delegation for the talks, Hamas did not send any representatives. But the group is reported to be in touch with the Egyptian and Qatari officials.
According to CNN, the participants included CIA director Bill Burns, Mossad chief David Barnea, Qatari PM Sheikh Mohammed bin Jassim Al Thani and Egypt’s intelligence head Abbas Kamel.
What are the highlights of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire proposal?
A deal to bring about a ceasefire in Gaza and to free the remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas was proposed by US President Joe Biden in May. It was agreed to in principle by Israel and Hamas. But, there continued to be disagreements, which were addressed by a “bridging proposal” tabled in the meeting in Doha.
ALSO READ: Gaza's other battle for survival: Polio threat looms large as vaccinations dip amid war
A joint statement issued by the US, Qatar and Egypt after the talks on Friday said the proposal presented to both sides “builds on the areas of agreement over the past week,” and “bridges remaining gaps in a manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal.” The talks were “serious and constructive,” the statement added.
Biden’s three-phase deal was based on Israel’s proposal. The first phase, lasting six weeks, will include the “withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza” and the “release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, the wounded in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners”.
The second phase will involve the “exchange for the release of all remaining living hostages, including male soldiers” and a permanent end to the fighting.
The third phase would see a multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza and the return of dead hostages' remains.
Hamas has conveyed that it will agree to a deal based strictly on Biden’s initial proposal, and not any new plan that may be proposed following the ongoing talks which deviates from the original proposal. Other contentious points include the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released, the extent of troop withdrawal by Israel in Gaza, and the checkpoints to dissuade armed Palestinians from returning to northern Gaza, among others.
It remains to be seen whether backdoor negotiations ahead of the mediators’ meeting next week, will be able to bring both the parties to an agreement eventually to end the devastating war.
