The Israeli army says it is halting the conquest of Gaza City pending negotiations on Trump's plan.
Negotiations can soon begin, which must resolve four critical points.
Special Envoy to Tel AvivAs the second anniversary of the Gaza war approaches, moves toward a ceasefire are accelerating. After Hamas announced Friday night that it is prepared to implement Donald Trump's plan and hand over all hostages, the Israeli army announced this morning that it is pausing operations to conquer Gaza City, as the US president had demanded. However, the pause is not being verified on the ground: journalist Motassem Aldaloul reports from Gaza City that following the announcement, a bombing raid killed seven people in the Al Daraj neighborhood and that tanks and drones continue to bombard Gaza. In fact, hospitals in the Gaza Strip reported at least 29 deaths from Israeli fire this Saturday as of 2:00 p.m. local time. According to a death toll count conducted by Gazan journalists, 22 of the fatalities occurred in Gaza City, in the north, and reached the Shifa and Baptist hospitals.
Netanyahu has announced that "Israel is preparing for the immediate implementation of the first phase of Trump's plan for the release of all hostages." The pieces are moving again for the resumption of negotiations, which literally blew up when Israeli aircraft bombed the Hamas delegation in Doha last month. The Israeli press reports that lists of Palestinian prisoners who would be released in exchange for the 50 hostages held in Gaza, of whom 28 are believed to be dead, are already being prepared.
Netanyahu's statement comes after US President Donald Trump stated that Hamas is "ready for peace," adding that Israel "must stop the bombing so that we can quickly secure the release of the hostages." The army then said in a statement that it had begun "preparations for the implementation of the first phase of Trump's plan for the release of the hostages." He also asserts that "the safety of troops is a top priority."
Hamas has expressed its willingness to release the 48 hostages still being held by Palestinian factions—20 of whom are believed to be dead—as outlined in Trump's plan, though a senior Hamas official said Friday that the 72-hour deadline was not feasible. The plan stipulates that, once both sides agree, "Israeli forces will withdraw to the agreed-upon line in preparation for the release of the hostages. During this time, all military operations, including air and artillery bombardments, will be suspended, and battle lines will remain frozen until the deadline is met."
Four Flashpoints
There are three critical points that have derailed all ceasefire agreements so far. The first is what guarantees Hamas can obtain that the day it releases the last hostage, Netanyahu will not resume indiscriminate bombing. The hostages are the Palestinians' only bargaining chip, and it is unlikely they will give up in exchange for words. After all, the Oslo Accords of the 1990s, supported by the United States, European powers, and Arab countries, never resulted in the promised Palestinian state.
The second point is the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Strip. According to Trump's plan, the Israeli army would not be required to withdraw completely from Gaza during the first and second phases, but only at an unspecified point in the future, when Gaza "is adequately protected from any revival of the terrorist threat." Furthermore, the plan also provides for Israel to maintain troops on the border perimeter, which it also does not specify. It's worth remembering the geography here: the Gaza Strip is no more than 8 kilometers wide.
The third point is who will govern Gaza after Hamas. The Islamists have been saying for months that they agree to hand over the administration to an independent Palestinian body "in national coordination and with Arab and Islamic support." According to Trump's plan, the administration of Gaza during the transition period will be entrusted to a "Palestinian committee" supervised by an international body, called a peace board, chaired by Trump himself and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. That is, by Israel's main international ally today and a representative of its original ally, in 1948. This would then be followed by a reform of the Palestinian Authority, a deeply corrupt and undemocratic body that would assume its control.
The final sticking point is who will assume military control of Gaza. Trump's plan calls for the Israeli military to gradually transfer the territory it occupies in Gaza (not the areas still under Hamas control) to an International Stabilization Force, the composition of which is unclear.