2024-04-29 19:24:44
The US government has asked the Islamic terrorist organization Hamas to agree to a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza War. “New progress has been made in the talks in the last few days, and now the onus is on Hamas. There is an offer on the table and they must accept it,” White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre testified at the White House yesterday.
The release of the hostages held by Hamas is long overdue. It must also be ensured that more humanitarian aid reaches the Gaza Strip. The situation there is “catastrophic”. Jean-Pierre emphasized: “We believe that now is the time for Hamas to accept this measure.”
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently traveling in the region, said Israel had made a “very generous” proposal. The only thing separating the people of Gaza from a ceasefire now is Hamas. This has to be “decided quickly,” Blinken said. A delegation from Hamas came to Cairo to negotiate the latest proposal.
Partial releases and withdrawals
According to British Foreign Minister David Cameron, Hamas had proposed a 40-day ceasefire. Israeli media previously reported that this proposal included the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas. In return, Israel plans to release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from prison. Among them are women, including soldiers, the elderly, the injured and the “mentally impaired”. According to reports, the length of the ceasefire should depend on the number of hostages released.
Thus Israel would also withdraw from a central road that divides the northern and southern Gaza Strip. Residents of the north are also allowed to return to their homes. A large majority of the approximately 2.2 million inhabitants of the Gaza Strip fled south during the war.
Performance in Tel Aviv
Meanwhile, thousands of people demonstrated in Tel Aviv this afternoon for a negotiated solution to the release of the Israeli hostages. Relatives of the hostages also appealed to the Israeli government to reach a ceasefire and return the hostages. “We are parents who want our children back home,” said the father of a soldier who was kidnapped on October 7. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu does not return the hostages, he will have their blood on his hands.
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