The most recent ceasefire offer, which U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called “extraordinarily generous” for Hamas, is one that the group should embrace.
Along with Qatar and Egypt, the United States has been mediating between Israel and Hamas for months, but the parties have not been able to reach an agreement on a truce that would last beyond December, following the end of a week-long ceasefire.
At the World Economic Forum in Riyadh on Monday, Blinken stated, “Hamas has a proposition that is unusually and incredibly generous on the side of Israel, and they have to decide swiftly. I am sure they will make the correct decision, and we can have a profound change in the dynamic.”
Blinken stressed that Israel intended to launch full-scale military operations in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, from which over a million Palestinians had fled throughout the conflict, and that Hamas needed to act swiftly. It is also the final bastion of Hamas, the terrorist group in charge of the horrific attack on October 7 that sparked Israel’s military reaction in Gaza.
The secretary’s latest trip to the Middle East began on Monday, when he landed in Saudi Arabia. He will meet with regional leaders there to discuss a variety of topics, including the ceasefire proposal, the Israeli hostages, the possibility of normalization between the Saudis and Israelis, and Iran’s ongoing threat to regional peace and security.
The foreign minister of Egypt, Sameh Shoukry, expressed optimism over the most recent plan, saying it had “taken into account the perspectives of both parties.”
Additionally, the Washington Post reports that British Foreign Secretary David Cameron, who is also in Riyadh, called the plan “extremely generous,” said that it involves a 40-day truce, and hinted that it may involve the release of “possibly thousands” of Palestinians under Israeli imprisonment. A week-long ceasefire agreement had a clause requiring Israel to free three Palestinians for each Israeli captive it freed.
The United States has stated that it opposes Israel launching a ground invasion of Rafah because it fears serious civilian casualties. It also feels like Israel has not planned well enough to safely evacuate the civilian population in Rafah, partly because of the substantial infrastructure damage that has occurred throughout the Gaza Strip.
According to a White House statement, during their Sunday speech, President Joe Biden “reiterated his clear position” against a Rafah operation. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also spoke.
Even a brief truce would prevent an Israeli invasion of Rafah, even if the terrorist organization’s commanders have recently rejected such offers.
“It provides six weeks of peace if we can implement it,” National Security Council coordinator for the United States John Kirby stated on ABC. It forbids combat for six weeks, during which time there may be no violence in Rafah. And our hope is that, following a brief six-week truce, we will be able to establish something more permanent.
According to reports, Israel has made compromises in comparison to the prior offer in the current plan that is on the table. According to the New York Times, Israeli officials had insisted that Hamas release 40 of the approximately 130 captives that they have been holding since October 7, even though the new agreement would only require the release of 33 individuals.
There are two more issues that Israel and Hamas cannot agree upon: the length of the ceasefire and the status of the return of Palestinians who were residents of northern Gaza but fled south during the conflict. Hamas wants the conflict to stop permanently and allow Palestinians to freely return to the north. On the first, Israel has given in, but not on the second.
