In an interview with the British newspaper Sunday Times, published this Sunday (2) by the Israeli newspaper The Times of IsraelOphir Falk, foreign policy advisor to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, confirmed that the country agrees to the general terms of the agreement proposed by US President Joe Biden, which covers a truce in Gaza, involving the release of hostages and would be followed by a total ceasefire in the region
However, Falk stressed that “there are many details to be worked out” in this agreement and that “there will not be a permanent ceasefire until all our objectives are achieved”, which certainly includes the total elimination of the terrorist group Hamas, which governs the Palestinian enclave, classified by Falk as a “genocidal terrorist organization”.
“It’s not a good deal, but we really want the hostages released, all of them,” Falk said.
Joe Biden’s proposal, revealed this Friday (31), includes a truce in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages held captive by Hamas since the terrorist attack against Israel in October 2023.
This proposal has already been sent to Hamas through Qatar, mediator of the conflict, and Biden has asked the terrorist group to agree to the terms.
As Biden said, the agreement aims to “bring all hostages home, ensure Israel’s security and create a better next day in Gaza without Hamas in power, as well as setting the stage for a political agreement that offers a better future for Israelis and Palestinians.” The American president, however, did not specify how Hamas would be removed from power.
Biden’s plan is divided into three phases: It would begin with a six-week truce, during which Israeli forces would withdraw from “all populated areas” of Gaza. During this phase, some hostages, including elderly people and women, would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, and Palestinian civilians would return to their homes while 600 trucks daily would bring humanitarian aid to the Palestinian region. In the second phase, of indeterminate duration, Hamas and Israel would negotiate the terms of a permanent end to hostilities, with the possibility of extending the ceasefire while negotiations continued, in which case all remaining hostages would be released. The third phase would involve a major reconstruction plan for Gaza.
The Israeli government currently believes that 121 hostages kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, 2023 are still in Gaza, but not all of them are alive.
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