The United States recently revealed that Israel had reached a ceasefire agreement with Hamas militants, on the condition that Israel stop its offensive in Gaza and let Hamas leaders withdraw from Gaza, on the condition that Hamas hand over 136 Israeli hostages within two months. This is the longest truce that Israel has proposed since the Israeli-Palestinian war, and it is Israel's first initiative to call for peace.
Although Israel has not confirmed the news, it has already hinted at US involvement. U.S. aide McGurk recently conducted an in-depth visit to Egypt and Qatar and maintained close contact with local and Hamas representatives to facilitate talks on the hostage exchange.
Why did Israel suddenly change its stance in Gaza and come up with such a plan that seemed to be beneficial to Hamas? Analysts blame this on Israel's current military and diplomatic dilemma.
From a military point of view, Israel's air strikes in Gaza did not go as it would have liked, but were met with fierce resistance and retaliation from Hamas. Since the start of the Palestinian-Israeli war, more than 25,000 Palestinians have been killed and 63,000 injured, mostly innocent women and children, according to the Gaza Health Agency. This distressing statistic has aroused strong condemnation and resonance in the world.
On the Israeli side, too, suffered heavy losses. Not long ago, on the Palestinian-Israeli border, the Israel Defense Forces were severely attacked by Hamas, killing 21 people and injuring dozens more, making it the largest in Israel's history. In addition, 136 Israeli hostages, including civilian and military personnel, have fallen into the hands of Hamas, some of whom pose a great danger to their lives.
Israel's defeat in the war caused a backlash in Israel. Israeli ** Herzog gave a speech expressing grief over the death of Israeli soldiers, saying that this was an unjust battle. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid said in BenjaminnetanyBenjaminnetanyahu that he called the Gaza offensive "a big failure" and called on him to end the conflict immediately and guarantee the safety of the Israeli people.
In terms of diplomacy, Israel's indiscriminate handling of the Gaza Strip has aroused international disgust, especially since Israel has also blown up a United Nations office building, which is a clear violation of international law, humanity, international law, and humanitarianism, and even Israel's ally the United States has expressed strong dissatisfaction and accusations.
In the United Nations Security Council, the majority of member states have demanded that Israel immediately end its attacks on Gaza and work towards a two-state solution, which is the most fundamental human right of the Palestinian people. Guterres even directly pointed out that Israel's rejection of the two-state solution is the root cause of the irresolvable contradictions between Palestine and Israel, and is also a risk factor that adds fuel to the fire of international terrorist activities.
In this case, Israel must make a certain level of compromise in order to appease its discontent with the world while also buying itself a little time. That's why Israel is proposing a truce between the two sides for more than two months, in exchange for a brief concession from Hamas and giving Israel some room for tactical adjustment.
However, there is still a lot of uncertainty about whether this plan can be actually implemented. First, let's wait and see if Hamas can agree to this proposal. Hamas may see Israel's truce as a sign of weakness and make a compromise to Hamas, so it is likely that Hamas will offer a higher price or disagree outright and fight Israel for greater success.
Secondly, there is the question of whether Israel will implement this plan in good faith. In the Israeli-Palestinian war, Israel's ultimate goal is to completely eliminate Hamas's military power, eliminate the dangers facing Israel, and prevent Palestine from becoming a state and maintain Israeli rule over the West Jordan. The above-mentioned goals are basically contrary to the interests of Hamas and Palestine, so Israel either suspends the war, waits for an opportunity, or uses economic sanctions, political interference, intelligence infiltration, etc., to destabilize and develop Hamas and Palestine.
All in all, Israel's proposal for a two-month truce may seem like a gesture of goodwill on the surface, but its intentions and intentions are still open to debate and caution. The road to Gaza is still a long and arduous road, which cannot be separated from the common concern and support of Palestine and Israel, and still less from sincere negotiations and concessions.