What Israel, Hamas want in deal
Israel and Hamas exchanged fire Tuesday, throwing into disarray an Eg yptian-brokered ceasefire to end eight days of fighting. Israel initially accepted the proposal while Hamas rejected it. The offer is on the table and Israel says it will halt its fire
END TO HOSTILITIES
The Egyptian proposal calls for an end to hostilities on both sides, saying Israel will halt its attacks and not conduct a ground offensive, and Palestinian militants will stop firing rockets. In the eight-day conflict, Israel has hit more than 1,600 targets in Gaza, killing nearly 200 people. Hamas and other Palestinian militants have fired more than 1,100 rockets, causing damage, one death on Tuesday and some injuries. Once both sides agree to halt hostilities, they would negotiate a longer-term truce.
BORDER CROSSINGS
Hamas, strangled by a cash crunch and blockaded by both Egypt and Israel, places utmost importance on getting its crossings open to permit the flow of goods and people. The ceasefire agreement says the crossings would open once security stabilizes. Hamas wants detailed assurances that Gaza’s borders will be opened, particularly the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, its main gate to the world.
PRISONERS
Israel rounded up hundreds of Hamas operatives in the West Bank last month during a search for three missing Israeli teens, whose bodies were found some two weeks after they disappeared. Dozens of those operatives had been released in a prisoner exchange in 2011. Israel says they violated the terms of their release, but Hamas suggested it wants them freed as part of the ceasefire deal. The Egyptian offer does not discuss this demand and Israel is not likely to accept it.
DEMILITARIZATION
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel accepted the ceasefire agreement to “give an opportunity for the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip.” Hamas has expanded its arsenal of rockets, which can now reach deeper into Israel, as far north as the outskirts of Haifa. Egypt’s offer does not discuss demilitarization and Hamas is unlikely to accept any limit on its capabilities.
PERIOD OF QUIET
If nothing else, Israel and the Palestinians can expect a quiet period following this round. The 2012 mini-war brought months of calm, with occasional salvos from either side. Israel hopes by deterring Hamas the next pause will last longer. Hamas used the previous calm to replenish its stock of rockets, and will likely need time to regroup after the latest fighting.