HOPE GROWS AMID PLANS FOR PAUSE IN GAZA WAR
▶ US prepares ‘temporary ceasefire’ resolution for UN, as Hamas eases demands in truce talks
Hopes for a pause in the IsraelGaza war increased yesterday as the US prepared a draft UN resolution that called for a “temporary ceasefire” for the first time.
The US planned to submit a draft resolution calling for a pause in hostilities as soon as is practical and warning Israel not to send ground troops into Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
This came as the US vetoed an Algeria-drafted resolution at the UN Security Council in New York calling for an immediate ceasefire.
International calls for a halt to the conflict grew yesterday when the UK’s Prince William expressed his concern about the “terrible human cost” – an unusually political move for a member of the British royal family.
Meanwhile, Hamas is reported to have dropped its demand for a permanent ceasefire in negotiations for a potential truce deal with Israel.
Instead, the militant group will now accept a temporary pause in fighting to allow for a detainee and hostage swap with Israel and the flow of aid into Gaza, sources familiar with negotiations taking place in Egypt told The National. The sources said Hamas wanted international guarantees that the pause would be followed by negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire.
Previously, Hamas insisted on a permanent ceasefire to accept a deal that includes the release of hostages.
The group’s modified position also covers a hostage and detainee swap with Israel that mostly mirrors previous demands. But it differs in that Hamas this time wants the process to be hinged on progress made in the ceasefire negotiations, the sources said.
They added that the group continues to insist on a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh and senior official Khalil Al Hayya arrived in Cairo yesterday to discuss their
demands with Egyptian, Qatari and – indirectly – with US mediators.
“This war needs to end and Hamas knew that it needed to soften its conditions,” one of the sources said. “I believe we stand a very good chance to reach a deal this time round.”
US Middle East envoy Brett McGurk will travel to the region today for talks aimed at securing the release of hostages held by Hamas. He will visit Egypt today before travelling to Israel tomorrow.
Yesterday, the US vetoed a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza.
The resolution, which was drafted by Algeria, received 13 votes in favour, while Britain abstained.
It demanded “an immediate humanitarian ceasefire that must be respected by all parties” and called on Hamas to release all hostages.
It also opposed the “forced displacement of the Palestinian civilian population”.
The US has traditionally been Israel’s strongest backer at the UN, and Washington has vetoed previous Security Council resolutions calling for a ceasefire in Gaza. Like previous drafts vetoed by the US, the Algerian text did not condemn Hamas’s October 7 assault on southern Israeli communities.
Both the US and Israel have said that a ceasefire would only benefit Hamas, allowing it to regroup for further attacks. US envoy to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield said the timing of the resolution was “wishful and irresponsible”.
“We cannot support a resolution that would put sensitive negotiations in jeopardy,” she added, referring to the talks in Cairo.
The US draft, seen by The National, calls for the removal of all barriers hindering the delivery of aid to Gaza, and rejects any actions to reduce the enclave’s territory, including the creation of buffer zones.