🔗 Share this article

The militant group's limited acceptance of the US president's Gaza deal on Friday has been met with worldwide approval representing the closest Israel and Hamas have come in two years toward stopping the war in Gaza.

How Near Are We to an Agreement?

Hamas's qualified backing of the Trump plan is the closest delegates have reached over the last several months to a comprehensive conclusion to the war in Gaza. Nevertheless, they are still far off from a deal.

Trump's multi-point plan to conclude the war requires for Hamas release all hostages in three days, surrender ruling power to an international authority headed by the US president, and disarm. As compensation, Israel would gradually pull back its forces from the Gaza Strip and return more than one thousand Palestinian prisoners.

The proposal includes an increase of relief supplies into Gaza, parts of which are facing starvation, and rebuilding money to Gaza, that has been nearly completely destroyed.

Hamas only agreed on three items: the freeing of all hostages, the handing over of authority and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip. The group declared the remaining parts of the deal must be negotiated together with additional Palestinian factions, as it is part of a unified national position.

In practice, this implies the group seeks further negotiations on the thornier parts of the US plan, specifically the request that it disarms, and a solid schedule regarding Israeli troop pullout.

When and Where Will Talks Take Place?

Negotiators have flown to the Egyptian capital to finalize specifics to narrow the gap between the two sides.

Negotiations begin tomorrow and are expected to yield outcomes within a few days, be they successful or not.

Trump shared an image of a map showing Gaza last Saturday evening that showed the line up to which Israeli troops ought to pull back and said that if the group consents to it, the truce would begin immediately. The US president is eager to end the war as it approaches its second anniversary and before the Nobel prize committee declares the recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize in October, an issue that is a widely known preoccupation of his.

The Israeli prime minister said an agreement to secure the return of Israeli hostages back home should preferably take place in the coming days.

Which Differences Remain?

Both Hamas and Israel have been cautious their bets heading into the talks.

The group has repeatedly declined to lay down its arms in past negotiations. It has provided no indication whether its stance has changed on this, despite it principally agrees to Trump’s plan, with conditions. Trump and Israel have made it clear that there is limited flexibility regarding the disarmament demand and are resolved to pin Hamas down with binding language in any agreement going forward.

Hamas also said it agreed to handing over power in Gaza to a technocratic administration, as specified by the Trump plan. But, in its announcement, the militant group specified it would accept a Palestinian technocratic governing body, rather than the global authority that Trump laid out in its plan.

Israel has also sought to keep the matter regarding its military pullout vague. Just hours following the announcement of Trump’s plan during a shared media briefing in Washington last week, the prime minister released a recording reassuring the Israeli public that troops would remain in most of Gaza.

Last Saturday evening, the Israeli prime minister again repeated that forces would stay in Gaza, saying that hostages would be returned as the Israel Defense Forces would remain “deep inside the strip”.

The prime minister's stance appears to conflict against the stipulation in the US proposal that Israeli forces completely pull out from the territory. The group will demand reassurances that Israel will completely leave and that if the group gives up its weapons, Israeli forces will not re-enter the strip.

Mediators must bridge these differences, obtaining clear, strict language regarding giving up weapons from the group. They will also have to show to Hamas that the Israeli government will genuinely withdraw from the territory and that there are global assurances that will compel Israel to adhere with the conditions of the agreement.

The disagreements might be resolved, and the United States will undoubtedly pressure both parties to achieve a deal. Nevertheless, the talks have come near to an agreement previously suddenly collapsing several times in the past two years, leaving both parties cautious of celebrating before a final signing.