As cease-fire negotiations with Hamas reach a critical juncture, the conflict’s death toll continues to rise. Recent military reports indicate five Israeli soldiers died and eight were wounded in a northern Gaza ammunition explosion, one of the deadliest single incidents in the ongoing operation. Four additional soldiers were killed on Sunday. Despite this, Hamas has launched twenty rockets at Israel over the past fortnight, demonstrating its continued offensive capabilities after fifteen months of fighting.
Mediation efforts involving the U.S., Qatar, and Egypt are reportedly nearing a resolution. A draft agreement proposes the release of thirty-three of ninety-eight hostages—comprising children, women, female soldiers, men over fifty, and humanitarian cases—in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including high-profile detainees. This phase is anticipated to last forty-two days.
An Israeli official stated that most of the thirty-three hostages seized by Hamas on October 7, 2023, remain alive. Humanitarian aid will be delivered to Gaza during this period. Israel will reportedly release fifty prisoners for each female hostage and thirty for each child or woman hostage.
The proposed agreement includes a significant concession from Israel, allowing one million displaced Palestinians to return to northern Gaza—a move security experts warn could facilitate Hamas’s rearmament.
“Hamas’s rebuilding rate surpasses the IDF’s eradication efforts,” retired IDF Brigadier General Amir Avivi stated to the media.
Avivi also told Israeli radio that while the deal must secure the release of all hostages, the sole non-negotiable Hamas demand is an immediate end to hostilities. He suggested that significant concessions could be made provided ending the war isn’t a condition of the agreement.
In his farewell foreign policy address at the State Department on Monday, President Biden stated, “We’re on the verge of a proposal, laid out months ago, finally coming to fruition. We’re working hard to conclude this – freeing the hostages, halting the fighting, securing Israel, and ensuring humanitarian aid reaches Gaza. Palestinians deserve peace, Israel deserves peace, and we’re working urgently to finalize this deal while addressing the challenges.”
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan underscored the urgency, saying, “We’ve collaborated closely with the incoming administration to present a united message to all parties: achieving this agreement as swiftly as possible is in America’s national security interest… We believe the details are on the verge of being finalized, and the parties are poised to close this deal. Whether we move from this point to actual closure remains to be seen in the coming hours and days.”
Biden and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu discussed the proposed cease-fire by phone on Sunday, reflecting the high-level U.S.-Israel coordination. U.S. envoy Brett McGurk has been in Qatar working continuously to finalize the agreement.
The Israeli military reports eliminating approximately 17,000 Hamas terrorists and detaining thousands more since the war’s outset. Before the conflict, Hamas had a force of 30,000 terrorists organized into twenty-four battalions. While the IDF claims to have significantly disrupted this structure, Hamas, which still controls considerable parts of Gaza, hasn’t disclosed its losses or new recruitment figures. The Hamas-run Ministry of Health claims around 46,000 Gazan deaths to date.
The cease-fire proposal has ignited intense debate within Israel’s government. Most coalition members, including Netanyahu, support the deal, considering it crucial for progress towards peace. However, some right-wing coalition members strongly oppose it, citing security concerns and fears of Hamas regrouping.