Negotiations between the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Israel regarding a ceasefire agreement in Gaza and the exchange of prisoners and detainees are witnessing a conflict in the dates that each party considers as a reference for its positions.
Hamas calls for implementing what it agreed to on July 2, while Israel insists on what it considers to be basic principles it announced on May 27.
So what do these dates mean?
May 27
On May 27, Israel handed the US, Qatar and Egypt a new proposal, which included a willingness to discuss Hamas’s demand for sustained calm and the number of living detainees to be released in the first phase, in addition to provisions related to the military presence in the Philadelphi corridor and security screening of Palestinian refugees returning to northern Gaza.
On May 31, US President Joe Biden said in a speech from the White House that Israel had presented a comprehensive proposal for a ceasefire and the release of all detainees consisting of 3 stages:
- Stage one: It lasts for 6 weeks, and includes a comprehensive and complete ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas in Gaza, and the release of a number of detainees, including the wounded, elderly and women, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
At this stage, the bodies of Israeli detainees remaining in Gaza will also be handed over, and Palestinians will return to all areas of Gaza, including the north, and aid will enter Gaza at a rate of 600 trucks per day.
During these six weeks, Hamas and Israel will negotiate a permanent ceasefire, but the truce will continue if the talks remain ongoing. - Stage Two: It lasts for 6 weeks, during which the restoration of sustainable calm (the permanent cessation of military and hostile operations) is announced and implemented before the exchange of detainees and prisoners between the two parties begins.
All remaining Israeli male detainees, both civilians and soldiers, will also be released in exchange for a number of prisoners in Israeli prisons and detainees in Israeli detention centers.
This stage also includes the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. - Stage 3: It will last for 6 weeks, during which all remains of the dead will be exchanged between the two parties after reaching and identifying them. The implementation of the Gaza Strip reconstruction plan will begin for a period of 3 to 5 years, including homes, civilian facilities and civilian infrastructure, under the supervision of a number of countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations, in addition to opening border crossings to facilitate the movement of people and the transfer of goods.
July 2
On July 2, Hamas submitted its response to the mediators regarding the ceasefire proposal and the prisoner exchange deal.
It stressed its commitment to the necessity of reaching a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip.
Hamas is demanding that the mediators present a plan to implement what it accepted on July 2, based on the vision of the American president and Security Council Resolution 2735, and oblige Israel to do so, instead of entering into new negotiations.
Hamas warned – in a statement before the last round of negotiations in Doha – that entering into new rounds of negotiations or proposals would provide cover for Israel to continue its aggression, and give it more time to perpetuate the war of genocide against the Palestinian people.
The movement stressed its keenness, from the beginning, to make the efforts of the mediating brothers in Qatar and Egypt successful, to reach a ceasefire agreement that would end the genocidal war in Gaza, noting that it had held several rounds of negotiations, and provided all the necessary flexibility and positivity to achieve the goals and interests of the Palestinian people and stop their bloodshed.
Doha negotiations
On August 15 and 16, the Qatari capital, Doha, hosted a new round of negotiations. A joint statement by the mediators revealed that the United States, with the support of the State of Qatar and the Arab Republic of Egypt, presented both parties with a proposal that narrows the gaps between them and is consistent with the principles set by US President Joe Biden on May 31 and Security Council Resolution 2735. This proposal builds on the points of agreement achieved during the past week and bridges the remaining gaps in a way that allows for the rapid implementation of the agreement.
A senior official in President Joe Biden's administration said the negotiations were very productive, and among the most constructive talks the parties have had in months.
“The past two days in the Doha talks may be the most productive in months,” the official added, noting that a lot of progress has been made in the Doha talks, and a final proposal has been put in place to bridge the gaps. “We now have the best chance in months to reach a ceasefire agreement in Gaza,” he said.
In contrast, a leading source in the Hamas movement criticized the new American proposal, in an interview with Al Jazeera, and said that it responds to the occupation’s conditions and aligns with them. He pointed out that the movement has once again confirmed that the occupation does not want an agreement, and continues to evade and obstruct, and insists on adding new conditions to obstruct the agreement.
The source confirmed the movement's commitment to what it agreed to on July 2, and called on mediators to pressure the occupation and oblige it to implement what was agreed upon, stressing that any agreement must guarantee “stopping the aggression against our people and withdrawing from the Gaza Strip.”
In his first comment after the conclusion of the Doha negotiations, the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he appreciated the efforts of the United States and mediators in convincing Hamas to abandon its rejection of the deal to release the “hostages.”
He expressed his hope that the pressures would lead Hamas to accept the principles of the May 27 proposal, making it possible to implement the details of the agreement, noting that “our basic principles are known to the mediators and the United States.”