Sadie Groner

Staff Writer

This post was originally published on October 8.

Last Monday, President Trump released his 20-step proposal to end the war in Gaza. With the approval of Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Trump’s extensive demands await Hamas’s acceptance.

While Hamas officials seemingly had no hand in the creation of the plan’s stipulations, as of Friday, they have expressed interest in fulfilling at least one of the requirements for peace: the release of hostages in exchange for captured and imprisoned Palestinians.

Set to meet this Monday in Cairo, mediators from Israel and Hamas are looking to negotiate the terms of release for the estimated 20 living and 25 dead Israeli hostages. In exchange for the hostages, 250 Palestinians serving life-sentences, 1,700 Gazans captured and jailed in the conflict, and 15 Gazan bodies, one for every Israeli body, will be swapped.

Despite the tentative optimism surrounding this facet of the deal, many more negotiations still need to be held. Among Hamas’s reservations for the proposal, three points are most likely to cause issues: the 72 hour timeframe given to release the hostages, the distance in which Israeli troops will withdraw from Palestine, and the disarmament of Hamas itself.

Given the current conditions in Palestine, Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, expressed concerns for the short timeframe they have been given. In a statement given to Al Araby TV, Hamdan explains regarding the hostages, “Some have been buried, some are in areas under the occupation’s control and some — as a result of the destruction and leveling that took place — need to be looked into.” Israeli officials have also expressed general skepticism for the time allotted.

Israeli troops are expected to remain in Palestine, retreating in pace with the achievements of demilitarizing milestones which have yet to be determined. Despite Hamas’s previous acceptance of a continued military presence, President Trump’s plan requires said presence to exist deeper in Gaza than may be acceptable.

What is likely to be the most contentious stipulation, Hamas must agree to lay down all weapons, and cease all present and/or future governance of Gaza.

While it is still early in the negotiation process to be sure of any outcome, it seems both the Israeli and Palestinian populations are eager to see the end to the two-year long war. Protests in Tel Aviv on Saturday, urged the Israeli government to secure peace, while native Palestinians have expressed frustration and exhaustion over the still ongoing attacks.