Responding to the immense pressure from the relatives and friends of hostages, Israel proposed to stop hostilities for up to two months to allow the release of approximately 130 hostages that are still being held by Hamas.
Over the past month, mediators in Qatar and Egypt worked to “pause” (Israel rejects the term “ceasefire”) the Hamas agreement.
Sources close to the Israeli government claim that the proposal came ten days after an outline had been approved. Axios says the new proposal “is different than past aspects” and is more forward-looking.
Israeli officials said they were awaiting Hamas’ response, but were cautiously optimistic about the likelihood of progress within the next few weeks.
According to the proposal, the deal would include the release of any hostages who are still alive and the return of the bodies of the dead over a certain time.
According to officials, the first stage will see the release of women, men over 60 years old, and hostages who are in critical condition.
Release of male Israeli soldiers, female soldiers, and men younger than 60 years old who are not soldiers will be the next step.
Can Israel resume war after a 2-month break? Prime Minister Netanyahu is under intense pressure from both his domestic and foreign allies to strike a deal with Hamas. Netanyahu has shown that he will not be swayed by any pressure to prevent him from eliminating Hamas.
Netanyahu is at a record low in popularity, according to a Sunday poll conducted by a company in Israel. If today’s election were to be held, and Minister Benny Gantz was removed from power, the National Unity Party of Minister Benny Gantz would have the best position.
Times of Israel:
The survey shows that Gantz’s National Unity Party would gain 37 seats, up from the 12 currently. Under Netanyahu, Likud will only have 16 Knesset seats, down from 32. Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid would have 14 seats, a reduction from the current 24.
According to the poll (current number of seats in parentheses), Shas (11) and Yisrael Beytenu (6) would each get 9 seats, Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit (7) would get 8, United Torah Judaism would stay stable at 7, Religious Zionism (4) would get 6, Hadash-Taal and Ra’am would stay stable at 5 each, and Meretz (0) would just pass the electoral threshold to get 4 seats.
The Arab Balad Party (ABP) and the Center-Left Labor Party (Labor Party) would not meet the threshold to enter the Knesset.
According to a similar survey, 46% of Israeli voters are opposed to the proposed deal for the hostage pause.
This statement is not an assault on Netanyahu but rather a critique of his leadership. 53 percent of respondents said the actions of the prime minister are motivated by his “personal interests” while only 33 percent stated that they were for the benefit of the country.
It’s a myth propagated by the media that is not supported by any facts.
