Antony Blinken, the US Secretary of State, told protesters in Israel that now is the time for a ceasefire. Photo: Oded Balilti/AP
Plans to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza have sparked a backlash in Israel, with members of Benjamin Netanyahu's cabinet threatening to collapse the government.
The hostage release deal sent to Hamas was leaked. includes Israel's commitment to maintain “enduring calm” in the Gaza Strip, a phrase used to describe the end of previous conflicts.
Critics argue that this commitment would mean Israel abandoning one of its main military goals – defeating Hamas – a promise made after the October 7 attacks.
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Orit Strock, the far-right settlement minister, said Israel should not throw the war “in the trash” to “save 22 or 33 people – I don’t know.” how many,” referring to Israeli hostages held in the Gaza Strip.
Echoing her allies Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who on Tuesday threatened to quit the ruling coalition if the deal is approved, Ms. Strock told Army Radio that Benjamin Netanyahu's government has “no right to exist” if it accepts the agreement.
There are widespread rumors that Israel will call off its planned invasion of Rafah, the only major city in Gaza largely untouched by the fighting, if Hamas agrees to the deal.
Leaked parts of the agreement propose a 40-day ceasefire in the first phase, under which Hamas would release 33 vulnerable hostages. In exchange, Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip would cease fire and “allow the movement of humanitarian aid and the return of civilians to their homes.”
For every hostage released, Israel would release 20 Palestinian prisoners, which would be more generous. sentence than previous sentences. Hamas will provide a list of prisoners in Israeli prisons that it would like to accept, but Israel will be able to veto it.
From the 16th day of the truce, Israel and Hamas are expected to begin talks with the goal of creating “sustainable calm” in Gaza, a euphemism for ending the war that suits the Israeli government, which has refused to publicly declare its desire to end the war. war.
As Israeli opinion shifts toward a ceasefire agreement, military preparations for the Rafah offensive continue. Photo: MENACHEM KAHANA/AFP via Getty Images
The first phase of the agreement involves a phased withdrawal of Israeli troops from parts of the strip to allow for the movement of humanitarian aid and the return of civilians. The second stage of the agreement will include a full withdrawal with “sustainable calm.”
Mr. Smotrich, the finance minister and a leading right-wing leader, warned late on Tuesday that committing to ending the fighting in Gaza and releasing “terrorists with blood on their hands” would be akin to “surrendering the state of Israel.”
Opposition from the Israeli right came as US Secretary of State Antony Blinken arrived in Israel on Wednesday to confirm Israel's agreement to the deal at a crucial time for the 133 Israeli hostages kidnapped in Gaza and a potential invasion. the southern city of Rafah.
Mr. Blinken said Washington was “determined to achieve a ceasefire that brings the hostages home, and to do so now.”
“The only reason this will not be achieved is Hamas,” he said after meeting with the Israeli president. “There is an offer on the table. And as we said: no delays, no excuses. The time has come.”
Antony Blinken meets Isaac Herzog, Israel's president, for talks on Wednesday. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
A Hamas spokesman on Wednesday criticized Mr Blinken's comments, saying they were aimed at putting pressure on the group and absolving Israel of responsibility for the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters that the terrorist group is still studying the situation. proposal.
Mr Blinken later on Wednesday met Mr Netanyahu, the Israeli prime minister, in a private meeting in Jerusalem with their respective staffs.
During the meeting, which lasted about two and a half hours, Mr Netanyahu told a visiting US official that he would not accept a deal that would include ending the war, US news site Axios reported.
Related With hopes growing in Israel for a breakthrough in negotiations to free the hostages, dozens of people gathered outside Mr Blinken's hotel in Tel Aviv on Wednesday morning, calling on him to strike a deal for their release.
US Secretary of State The Secretary of State addressed protesters after one of his meetings, telling them that Washington “will not rest until everyone – men, women, soldiers, civilians, young, old – comes home.”
“Hamas needs to say yes and it needs to be done,” he told the crowd.
Antony Blinken talks to US relatives and dual citizens whose family members are being held hostage by Hamas. Photo: Evelyn Hockstein/REUTERS
Later on Wednesday, Mr. Blinken also met with relatives of Americans or dual-U.S. citizens held captive by Hamas.
Israel insists the war cannot end until it fully will eradicate Hamas, so he wants to launch the planned invasion of Rafah. in the south.
However, Hamas has repeatedly stated that it sees no point in agreeing to a deal that does not provide for a lasting truce.
On Wednesday he asked Egyptian and Qatari mediators to clarify the terms of the latest agreement. A ceasefire proposal is being discussed, an unnamed Egyptian official told The Associated Press.
The terrorist group is reportedly seeking “clear terms for the unconditional return of displaced people to northern Gaza” and guarantees that the initial ceasefire will be followed by another a phase that could include a gradual and then complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. .
The current proposal apparently does not lay out the details of the return of Palestinians to northern Gaza.
Public opinion in Israel is now in favor of any deal to free the hostages, especially after Hamas last released the first video proving the life of 24-year-old Hersh Goldberg-Polina, who has not been seen or heard from since his arrest on October 7.
A new opinion poll conducted by public broadcaster Kan on Wednesday showed that 54 percent of Israelis support a deal that would offer Hamas a temporary ceasefire to free at least some hostages.
When asked about a potential agreement, which would oblige Israel to end the war and release “thousands of terrorists” in exchange for the release of all hostages, about 47 percent of Israelis said they would support it, a third of them opposed, and the rest were undecided.
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