Israel-Hamas proposed six-week truce: What are the four key sticking points?
File photo of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The talks aimed to end the nine-month-old war in the Gaza Strip face four key sticking points that are determining the direction of the overall conflict in the blockaded Palestinian enclave. According to a report in Bloomberg, the sticking points include a host of issues and concerns that the representatives of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led government put up on the table.
Release of hostages
Hamas took some 250 hostages from Israel when it attacked the Jewish nation-state's southern border areas on October 7 last year. Of these, the group returned 110 and Israel released Palestinian detainees during a seven-day ceasefire that ended on December 1.
At the latest count, Israel says 120 hostages still remain in Gaza. Of these, 32 are women, children and elderly, who should be freed during an initial six-week suspension of hostilities under the draft deal proposed by the United States.
But, two people briefed on the negotiations quoted by Bloomberg say that Hamas claims it has only 18 living hostages in its captivity. Meanwhile, Israel is reportedly insisting on the return of close to 32 hostages during any next stage of a potential ceasefire, which would include men of military age.
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No Hamas in northern Gaza
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly demanded that Hamas be barred from northern Gaza. The Israeli prime minister is also insisting on an independent mechanism to ensure that no Hamas or Palestinian Islamic Jihad operatives, which Israel describes as terrorists, or their weaponry are allowed to return to the northern Gaza Strip.
Israel wants control of key southern border corridor
The Bloomberg report adds that Prime Minister Netanyahu wants Israeli forces to retain control of a key southern border corridor.
No indefinite ceasefire
Prime Minister Netanyahu further doesn't want to be bound to an indefinite ceasefire.
Under Washington's proposals, on the 16th day of the initial truce Israel and Hamas would start mediated talks on the second stage. If those negotiations proveto be protracted, the initial truce would be extended beyond the allotted six weeks.
Also watch |Israel-Hamas war: Who is Mohammed Deif? The mastermind behind October 7 attacks
The truce talks gained pace after Hamas dropped objections to the US President Joe Biden's proposed deal on July 7. Negotiators then met in Qatar and Egypt, but the negotiations slowed down when Israel struck central Gazain a bid to kill Hamas military chief Mohammed Deif.
More than 38,000 Palestinians have died in the fighting, according to Hamas claims. Israel says it has killed some 14,000 fighters.
(With inputs from agencies)