Qatar has sent its proposed draft ceasefire deal to Israel and Palestine’s radical movement Hamas, Bloomberg reported citing sources familiar with the negotiations.
In their words, the plan envisages the release of all hostages held in the Gaza Strip. Israel, in turn, will release a number of Palestinian prisoners. The document also says that the amount of humanitarian aid delivered to the enclave should be increased.
Efforts aimed at reaching a ceasefire deal are hampered by Israel’s declared determination to continue its military operation in the Gaza Strip until the Hamas movement is entirely destroyed, the news agency reported.
Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on 7 October when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking over 240 hostages, including women, children and the elderly.
Hamas described its attack as a response to the aggressive actions of Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City.
In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, and has been delivering air strikes on Gaza as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria. Clashes are also underway in the West Bank.
On 1 December, the Israeli army accused Hamas of violating a ceasefire that had been in effect since 24 November and announced that it would resume fighting in Gaza. Palestinian officials blamed the US for the renewed Israeli aggression.
