Israel offers to end war, let Sinwar leave if all hostages freed at once, Gaza disarmed
Israel has put a proposal on the table that would end fighting in the Gaza Strip and give the head of Hamas safe passage out of the enclave in exchange for the immediate release of all hostages held in Gaza, the demilitarization of the Strip and the establishment of an alternative governing power there, Kan news reported Thursday.
An Israeli official confirmed the outlines of the report to The Times of Israel and said Gal Hirsch, the government point man on the hostages, had presented the plan to American officials, who were expected to pass it on to unspecified Arab officials.
Hirsch told families of hostages that the proposal had been presented last week in a meeting with US officials from the White House and State Department, Kan said.
But Hamas politburo member Ghazi Hamad swiftly rejected the offer, telling Al-Araby Al-Jadeed that “the proposal for Sinwar’s exit is ridiculous and indicates the negotiating bankruptcy of the occupation.”
It “confirms the occupation’s denial of what happened throughout eight months of negotiations. Negotiations are stuck due to the intransigence of the Israeli position,” Hamad said.
Throughout the war and ceasefire negotiations, Hamas has appeared determined to maintain control of the Strip under any agreement.
The framework proposal would appear to mark a backtrack from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s vows to continue fighting until Hamas is destroyed and terror group head Yahya Sinwar dead, but would still adhere to the official goals of the war by seeing to the effective dismantling of Hamas and a return of the captives.
And it could ease domestic pressure on the government that is focused on the call to save the hostages, as well as international pressure to halt hostilities, thereby allowing Israel to give greater attention to the Hezbollah terror group, its Iran-backed foe to the north.
According to Kan, all 101 hostages still held in the Strip would be returned at once and Israel would end the war under the proposal, which eschews the staged hostage release and incremental troop withdrawal that had been under discussion until now.
Israel would also release an unspecified number of Palestinian inmates from Israeli prison, and allow Sinwar — widely believed to be the mastermind behind the October 7 attack — to leave the Strip along with any other Gazans who wish to leave with him.
No further details were given.
An unnamed official quoted by Kan described the plan as a secondary track alongside the main talks led by Israeli intelligence chiefs David Barnea and Ronen Bar via mediation by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
Relatives of hostages swiftly came out in favor of the reported proposal, and called on the government to back it publicly.
“A single-stage deal that includes all 101 hostages is the wish of all Israeli citizens and the families of the hostages. The proposal strengthens security in Israel and makes it possible to reach a comprehensive regional settlement,” the Hostages and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.
Though the offer ostensibly includes the removal of Hamas from power in Gaza, any deal that sees an Israeli commitment to end the war and allows Sinwar to walk free is likely to face intense pushback from Netanyahu’s hard-right coalition allies.
The existing talks have largely revolved around a proposal for a phased hostage release and troop withdrawal, but have become bogged down over disagreements regarding Israeli presence on the Egypt-Gaza border and the identity of Palestinian prisoners who would be released. Israel has said it is awaiting a new US proposal to bridge those divides.
The unnamed official told Kan: “In light of the difficulties in the negotiations and the ticking clock on the lives of the hostages, we want like to propose a secondary plan that would shorten the stages and allow for a faster deal.
“This will happen if Sinwar leaves [Gaza] and brings about an end to the war. This will allow us to to meet the goals of the war, and for the leadership of Hamas in Gaza to leave to a safe place.”
An official in Netanyahu’s office insisted Thursday that the report was “nothing new.”
“The prime minister spoke about this in [his speech to] Congress. He said that the war could end now if Sinwar is exiled, we get the hostages, Hamas is not in power, and there is demilitarization and deradicalization. This means victory, and the end of the war,” the official said.
Opposition Leader Yair Lapid confirmed the notion was brought up in talks he held in Washington with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and others earlier this week.
“There is a sense, a building realization, among many people, including myself, that the war, at the end of the day, is no longer serving Israel’s interests,” he told the broadcaster.
“And so, if we are ending the war because it is in our interest, we should reach an all-encompassing deal to bring home all the hostages in one go, and not have stages.”
Calls for Netanyahu to agree to a deal, even if it means leaving Hamas somewhat intact, have intensified in recent weeks after Israeli forces in Gaza discovered the bodies of six hostages who had been executed a short time before. Out of 251 hostages kidnapped on October 7, there are 97 remaining in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 33 confirmed dead by the IDF.
Hamas released 105 civilians during a weeklong truce in late November, and four hostages were released before that. Eight hostages have been rescued by troops alive, and the bodies of 37 hostages have also been recovered, including three mistakenly killed by the Israeli military as they tried to escape their captors.
Hamas is also holding two Israeli civilians who entered the Strip in 2014 and 2015, as well as the bodies of two IDF soldiers who were killed in 2014. Some 1,200 people were killed in the October 7 attack during which thousands of Hamas-led terrorists rampaged across southern Israel, sparking the IDF’s campaign in Gaza.
Rising tensions with the Hezbollah terror group in Lebanon have also put pressure on Israel to wrap up fighting in Gaza. On Wednesday, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said the military’s “center of gravity is moving north.”
“We are diverting forces, resources, and energy toward the north,” Gallant said. “I believe that we are at the onset of a new phase in this war, and we need to adapt.”
During more than 11 months of fighting Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah has been attacking the country on a near-daily basis, saying it is doing so in support of Hamas. This has led to constant cross-border fire, although the sides have avoided escalating to an all-out war. Nevertheless, 26 civilians in Israel and 20 IDF soldiers have been killed in Hezbollah attacks near the northern border, while more than 450 Hezbollah members have been reported killed, as have more than 100 civilians in Lebanon.
This week saw two concurrent days of unprecedented attacks on Hezbollah operatives throughout Lebanon, with the explosion of communications devices used by members causing the deaths of dozens and injuries of thousands. Hezbollah has blamed Israel for the attacks and has vowed a response, raising the specter of further escalation in the conflict.
Source » timesofisrael.com
