According to diplomatic sources, the Hamas delegation that traveled to Cairo three days ago for ceasefire negotiations has agreed to the terms presented by the US and Israel for a 12-day ceasefire with the release of some of the remaining Israeli prisoners of war being held in Gaza by Hamas members.
Israeli officials would need to agree before the ceasefire is able to go into effect.
According to Arabic news outlets, during negotiations held in Cairo, the Hamas movement accepted the ceasefire plan proposed by the U.S. and Israel. The initial phase involves a 12-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of 4 hostages.
Following this period, a 30-day ceasefire is planned to secure the release of 12 more hostages. The agreement also includes a comprehensive ceasefire, prisoner exchanges, and guarantees from the United States.
Israeli forces would need to allow the entry of blankets, clothes and shoes which they have been denying, amid cold weather. This has been intensifying Gaza’s catastrophic humanitarian crisis.
Israeli media again confirmed in reports about the ceasefire negotiations that Hamas accepted the ceasefire deals in both April & July, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu deliberately foiled both rounds to continue his campaign of extermination against the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip.
The Israeli government agreed to a ceasefire in Lebanon with Hezbollah several days ago, but Israeli forces have already violated the terms of that truce multiple times. A truce in Gaza, however, has failed on multiple attempts in the past 421 days of the Gaza genocide.
The US announced on November 27th their involvement in a new diplomatic effort with Qatar, Turkey and Egypt to reach a Gaza ceasefire and secure the release of the Israeli prisoners held in Gaza for the past 421 days. During that 421 day period, Israeli forces have committed genocide against the civilian population of Gaza, killing at least 45,000 people, including over 16,000 children – though the death toll is likely far more.
Also in that time period, Israeli forces have taken an estimated 10,000 Palestinians prisoner, in addition to the over 6,000 who were already being held in Israeli military prison camps. One of the things that Hamas officials are asking for in the ceasefire negotiation is a release of a large portion of the Palestinians being held hostage in Israeli military prison camps.
251 Israeli prisoners were taken on Oct 7th, 2023, and 97 are believed to still be in Gaza, including 34 Israelis believed to be dead (according to the Israeli military).
Since October 7th, 2023, there has been no respite for Palestinians in Gaza, apart from one five day truce in late November 2023, which saw the release of about 100 Israeli prisoners by Hamas and its allies in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.
Qatar, Egypt and US officials have attempted several times to negotiate ceasefires, but Israeli officials have refused each time – even when the terms of the ceasefire agreed to by Hamas officials were the exact ones that were presented by Israeli officials.
On Saturday, as word came out about Hamas’ acceptance of the ceasefire terms, Ajith Sunghay, the Head of UN Human Rights Office for the Occupied Palestinian Territories, issued a statement calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza:
#Gaza: After 13 months of unrelenting violence, the threat of death by starvation, illness or bombardment is real. The common plea by everyone is for this to stop. To bring this to an end. Enough.
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) November 29, 2024
In July, a ruling by the International Court of Justice declared that the entire apparatus of the Israeli military occupation of Palestinian territories is illegal and should be dismantled, with reparations paid to Palestinians whose land was forcibly taken by the Israeli occupying forces.
Since then, the International Court of Justice has found Israel guilty of the crime of genocide in Gaza, and has issued arrest warrants for Binyamin Netanyahu and Yoav Gallant.
