Islam Times - Biden’s New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal: Its Details and Reactions to It

Islam Times - While the negotiations between Hamas and the Israeli regime to end the war and swap the prisoners were halted three weeks ago without reaching an agreement, now the US President Joe Biden has unveiled a new plan to break this stalemate.

On Friday, Biden said he proposed a new and comprehensive peace plan to the negotiating parties that lays a "road map" for a ceasefire and a prisoner swap deal in Gaza.

He said that this proposal was communicated by Qatar to Hamas and the first phase of it will last for 6 weeks and includes "a complete ceasefire with the withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza and the release of a number of prisoners, including women, the elderly and the wounded in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinians from Israeli prisons.

Biden's three-stage plan

The proposal made by the US president includes several main stages, with the first stage being ceasefire, release of a limited number of prisoners, and Israeli retreat from some parts of Gaza.

Biden said the first stage would last six weeks and would include a "complete and comprehensive" ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from "all populated areas" in Gaza and the release of a number of prisoners, including women, the elderly and the wounded, in exchange for their freedom of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The proposal adds that in this stage, the Palestinian civilians will return to their homes in all areas of Gaza and the humanitarian aid will increase to 600 trucks daily.

Under the ceasefire, this aid can be safely and effectively distributed to all those who need it. The international community can deliver hundreds of thousands of temporary shelters, including residential units. The first stage can begin as soon as an agreement is reached.

The first stage also includes Hamas-Israel talks to step to the second one.

It is noteworthy that the proposal would allow the ceasefire to continue beyond the first six weeks while negotiations continue, and would also allow Hamas to not include the issue of body swaps in the first phase of the deal, which Israel has previously rejected.

Second stage: release of all prisoners and full retreat from Gaza

Biden called the second stage a "permanent end to hostilities." But he added that negotiations to reach the second stage may take more than six weeks, as there will be disagreements between the two sides.

"Israel will want to make sure its interests are protected but the proposal says if the negotiations take longer than six weeks from phase one, the ceasefire will still continue for as long as negotiations continue," Biden said, which would mark a new development from previous proposals.

The US, Qatar and Egypt will guarantee the continuation of talks until "all agreements" are reached to start the second phase, Biden added.

The second stage will involve the release of all remaining prisoners, including male soldiers, while Israeli forces withdraw from Gaza. As long as Hamas fulfills its commitments, the temporary ceasefire will become a permanent cessation of conflicts, he went on.

Third stage: Reconstruction and return of bodies

In the third stage, Biden said, the "great" plan to rebuild Gaza will begin and the last remains of the hostages who have been killed will be returned to their families

Biden claimed that Israel has "destroyed" Hamas forces for the last eight months and at this point, Hamas is not capable of another attack like the October 7 attack.

Biden said that the Arab countries and the international community will also participate in the Gaza reconstruction agreement in a way that will not allow Hamas to re-equip. He added that Washington will work with its partners to rebuild homes, schools and hospitals in Gaza.

Blinken's talks with related actors

Following the plan unveiling, the Reuters reported talks by the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken with some of the regional countries. According to the news agency, Blinken talked to Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan, Saudi Foreign Minister Faisal bin Farhan, and Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi.

"We have a chance to end the war in Gaza, bring the hostages home, and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people with ceasefire deal that is on the table. I spoke with several of my counterparts in the region today to stress that Hamas should accept the deal," he said in an X post.

Also, according to Matthew Miller, the spokesperson of the US State Department, Blinken emphasized in his conversation with Safadi that Hamas should accept the new ceasefire agreement presented by the Israeli regime.

Miller held that this aggression facilitates increase of the humanitarian aid to Gaza and allows the displaced Palestinians to return home.

Hamas and Israeli reactions

Various reactions have been made by Hamas and Israeli government following the release of the US proposal.

Hamas announced that it has not yet received the full text of the American proposed plan, and announced in a statement that it looks positively to what was said in the speech of the American president, including his request for a permanent ceasefire, the withdrawal of the occupying forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and the swap of prisoners.

"We consider this position of the United States and the belief that has been created in the regional and international scene about the necessity of ending the Gaza war an outcome of the legendary steadfastness of our fighting people and their brave resistance," Hamas said.

Hamas also declared its readiness to deal positively and constructively with any proposal for a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction, return of displaced people and completion of a serious deal for the swap of prisoners if the occupation regime explicitly commits to it.

In addition to Hamas statement, Ismail Haniyeh, the movement’s political office chief, during the National Arab Conference on Friday in Beirut said that Hamas and the Palestinian groups have informed the mediators of their insistence on their demands for ceasefire and prisoner swap under any deal with Tel Aviv.

"Regarding what is being said about the new position of the Zionist regime regarding the ceasefire agreement and the exchange of prisoners, the resistance has once again informed the mediators that the rules set by the Palestinian resistance groups cannot be withdrawn," Haniyeh added.

He went on that the permanent cessation of attacks and aggression, the complete withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza, the lifting of the blockade, reconstruction and an decent prisoner deal are among the rules set by the Palestinian resistance groups.

"All this is on the path of the Palestinian people achieving their rights and realizing their dreams for freedom, return to their homeland and independence," he asserted.

On the other side of the story, the Biden proposal seems to have inflamed tensions and divisions inside the Israeli government. While the hardliners of the cabinet insist on war, Netanyahu opposition wants Biden’s proposal to be approved by the cabinet as soon as possible.

In the first reaction, Netanyahu asserted that this regime "will not end the Gaza war" before Hamas is defeated.

Less than an hour after details of Biden's proposal were released, the PM's office said in a statement: "The war will not end until all of its goals are realized."

"The government of Israel is united in its desire to return the hostages as soon as possible and is working to achieve this goal,” the statement said. “The prime minister authorised the negotiating team to present a proposal to that end, which would also enable Israel to continue the war until all its objectives are achieved, including the destruction of Hamas’s military and governing capabilities," the statement said.

“The actual proposal put forward by Israel, including the conditional transition from one phase to the next, allows Israel to uphold these principles,” the statement maintained.

In another reaction, Tally Gotliv, a member of the Knesset, filed a complaint with the police of this regime, demanding the arrest of the American president.

According to the report of the Palestinian SAMA news agency, Gotliv accused Biden of violating the security protocols and revealing the details of Gaza war end plan and prisoner swap.

Gotliv, a representative of the Likud party in the Knesset, demanded the arrest of Biden as soon as he enters occupied territory.

The opposition, however, have a different opinion, and according to the Channel 12, Yair Golan, the new head of the Labor Party, described Biden as a true friend of Israel.

"Biden, the true friend of Israel, announced with his own voice what everyone understood from the first stages of the war. The condition for the return of all prisoners is the cessation of war," he said.

"Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downplayed the army's achievements and the chances of returning prisoners from the Gaza Strip. The war must stop and everyone must return to their homes," Golan went on.

Ex-Israeli justice minister said that the military pressure on the Hamas movement cannot return the Israeli prisoners from the Gaza Strip and that this regime is on the verge of a strategic defeat.

Haim Ramoon in a piece published by Maariv newspaper said that Hamas is still standing in Gaza and has been able to regain its military power in practically every area from which the Israeli army forces have withdrawn.

Although the army claimed earlier that it destroyed the military power of the Hamas movement in Jabalia, later it was surprised because the fighters of this movement were still there, he wrote.

Ramoon held that Hamas still has almost complete control over the Gaza Strip, including urban affairs and the distribution of humanitarian aid.

In this article, Ramoon emphasized that the Israeli regime failed to achieve its goals in the war on Gaza.

Asserting that this regime is now on the brink of a strategic defeat, Ramoon held that the war cabinet is distracting the public opinion from the realities of Gaza war.

After 240 days, Hamas is capable of firing missiles at Israeli settlements and threatening them, he maintained.

The war cabinet and the general staff of the Israeli army insist on doing similar things after making any possible mistakes in this war, Ramoon concluded.

Psychological pressure on the war cabinet

In addition to the pressures by the opposition on the Netanyahu cabinet to accept the ceasefire deal, Hamas is putting the Israeli officials in a tight spot with psychological warfare. On Friday, Qassam Brigades, the military wing of Hamas, published a video of an Israeli female prisoner.

"I am a prisoner in Qassam's prison, I have been a prisoner for more than 237 days and I don't know how long I will stay here. I tell the Israelis have you also became a member of the cabinet of Netanyahu, Gallant and Gantz? Will the fate of me and my friends be the same as the fate of Ron Arad? Thousands of men and women come to the streets and block the streets of Tel Aviv, do not return to your homes until we return to our homes. Do not put our fate in the hands of Netanyahu and the war cabinet, save us, time is running out. People have to decide, we don't want to die here," the prisoner addressed the Israelis.

Meanwhile, the intensified protests of the families of the prisoners have doubled the pressures and challenges of the war cabinet. According to SANA news agency, in a joint statement, these families announced that the cabinet made a deliberate decision to sacrifice the prisoners and deviated from the fundamental moral principle that Israel will never leave anyone behind. They accused the cabinet of preferring the continuation of war over release of prisoners.

The statement adds that the prisoners and the whole of Israel have been taken hostage by those who prefer their political interests over national and state duties.

"Stand up, break free and join us in the fight for the spirit of this country, the statement read.

The differences, conflicts, and internal and external crises of Israel come at a time that despite eight months of plight caused by a barbarous war, Gaza radiates unity and resistance, and the Palestinians consider the US peace proposal as a fruit of their resistance and a victory over their aggressive enemy.