Hamas plan rejected – Netanyahu approved military offensive in Rafah

However, Israel would send a delegation to the mediating Gulf emirate of Qatar to present its own position for a possible deal, it was said at the same time. Many international leaders strongly reject an operation in Rafah out of concern for the well-being of the civilian population.

Hamas wanted a complete withdrawal of its troops
According to the blueprint presented to international mediators and seen by Reuters on Friday, the agreements would have ended with the complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip. Netanyahu rejected the demands as unrealistic. Its stated goal is the destruction of the terrorist organization Hamas.

As a first step, Hamas’ plan called for the release of women, children, the elderly and sick, and female soldiers under their power. In return, Israel should have released 700 to 1,000 Palestinians from prison. Among them were about 100 people who were sentenced to life imprisonment. Hamas was only willing to agree to a ceasefire after this first step had been agreed.

In a second step, a date should have been set for all Israeli soldiers to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Only then did Hamas want to release all remaining hostages.

Indirect negotiations on a ceasefire have been going on for weeks
Even with new progress in negotiations that have been going on for weeks, with Israel and Hamas speaking not directly but through mediators, irreconcilable differences remained. The Israeli government does not want to end the war that started in October with the Hamas attack until the Islamist group is completely destroyed. Hamas, on the other hand, insists that an agreement must end the war. Due to these contradictions, a similar plan had already failed in February.

Pressure had increased on both sides as there was a threat of a humanitarian catastrophe for the Palestinian population in the Gaza Strip, which had already been largely destroyed. An Israeli military operation now in Rafah in the south, following operations in the north and center of the Palestinian territory, increases these concerns. The United Nations warns that at least 576,000 people face famine. According to Palestinian figures, civilians are dying every day, often in the triple digits.

The only ceasefire so far was months ago
The Israeli army’s losses had also increased, albeit to a much lesser extent. According to Palestinian figures, more than 31,000 people have been killed in the Gaza Strip so far. According to Israeli figures, the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack that sparked the war killed 1,200 people and kidnapped 253 hostages. Some hostages were released in late November during a brief, so far only, ceasefire in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

Netanyahu: Qatar increases pressure on Hamas
Prime Minister Netanyahu said of Hamas’ plan that it stuck to “unrealistic demands.” According to his office, the pressure Qatar is putting on Hamas as an intermediary between Israel and the Palestinian side is beginning to have an effect, Netanyahu said. Accordingly, the Gulf emirate reportedly threatened to expel Hamas members from Qatar and stop giving them money if they did not yield to the negotiations.

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi reiterated before Netanyahu’s announcement that he would continue to push for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip bordering his country. He also aims to increase aid deliveries. The president wants Palestinians driven from their homes by the fighting to return to the north from the south of the region. Sisi warned of the danger of an Israeli attack on Rafah, as Netanyahu plans. The city in the south of the Gaza Strip is located directly on the border with Egypt. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have fled there. Israel also suspects that there is a stronghold of Hamas fighters there.

Army spokesperson: Citizens are being taken to safety
A spokesperson for the Israeli army reiterated on Friday that in the event of a military operation in Rafah, the population there would have to be brought to safety. Civilians would be moved to safer locations, such as Al-Mawasi camp. Not only are Hamas’s leadership believed to be in the city on the border with Egypt, but the Islamist terrorist organization’s remaining battalions are also located there, spokesman Arye Shalicar said. From Israel’s perspective, a victory over Hamas without action in Rafah is therefore not possible. Aid organizations warn of many more civilian deaths.