After nearly four months of war in Gaza, countries such as the United States, Egypt and Qatar have stepped up their behind-the-scenes efforts to broker a ceasefire as they try to persuade Israel and Hamas to reach a new truce, as reported by Claire Duhamel, Israel-based correspondent for France 24.
Claire Duhamel, a journalist based in Israel, pointed out that at present, some Israeli political leaders have issued statements mainly opposing this ceasefire agreement. Today, on February 1, Israeli *** Minister Itamar Benville spoke in the Knesset to make it clear that he was against reaching an agreement with Hamas, as it would mean allowing the release of thousands of *** detainees in Israel
Yesterday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also said that thousands of *** would not be released
There are currently about 6,000 Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons.
The profoundness of Israeli politics also represents the profoundness of Israeli society, with some Israelis believing that an agreement with Hamas is necessary in order to save people, while others believe that the war in Gaza must continue at all costs.
At the hands of the United States, a negotiated ceasefire was held in Paris last weekend, with high-level leaders from the United States, Egypt, Qatar and Israel in attendance.
According to the Washington Post, a proposal was made to Hamas after the talks for a six-week truce in exchange for the release of all Israeli civilian hostages, followed by the possibility of releasing military hostages and returning the bodies of hostages killed since the start of the Gaza war.
So far, Hamas has not issued a statement on whether it will accept the draft agreement.
This follows a week-long truce at the end of November last year, which resulted in the release of 105 Israeli hostages and the release of 240 Palestinian prisoners.