Report: Framework for Cease-fire Deal Agreed

July 11, 2024

by: Ynetnews

Thursday, 11 July 2024 | A framework for a cease-fire in exchange for the release of hostages has been agreed by both Israel and Hamas, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius wrote late on Wednesday, quoting US officials.

“Israel and Hamas have both signaled their acceptance of an interim governance plan that would begin with Phase 2, in which neither Hamas nor Israel would rule Gaza,” Ignatius said, adding that a force of some 2,500 supporters of the Palestinians Authority, vetted by Israel, would provide security.

But in his report, he noted that obstacles still exist and negotiations over the details in the agreement would take time. According to an official in DC, Hamas is low on ammunition and supplies, and under increasing pressure from civilians in the Strip, who are demanding a cease-fire.

According to the Post, the breakthrough came when Hamas backed down from its demand for a written guarantee that the war would end and agreed to rely on the UN Security Council resolution that accepted the outline of the agreement as it was presented by US President Joe Biden and specified that negotiations would continue past six weeks in the first of the three-phased deal, as long as talks were ongoing. The official also told Ignatius that Hamas indicated to mediators that it was “prepared to relinquish authority to the interim governance arrangement.” In effect, both sides agreed that interim governance would begin in phase 2 of the deal, with neither side ruling the Strip.

The official also said that Saudi Arabia has hinted it would agree to advance normalization of relations with Israel, which was another contributing factor. The Saudis want to see a path to a Palestinian state as part of a final deal.

In his column, Ignatius writes that Qatar has told Hamas that if negotiations failed and the deal was rejected, their senior officials would not be allowed to remain in Doha.

Posted on July 11, 2024

Source: (This article was originally published by Ynetnews on July 10, 2024. Time-related language has been modified to reflect our republication today. See original article at this link.)

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