Israel and Hamas have signaled an agreement that neither will govern Gaza during the second phase of a possible cease-fire and hostage swap, The Washington Post reported Thursday: The interim government will begin the second phase and security will be provided by U.S.-trained forces backed by “moderate Arab allies.”
The security guards will be selected from a core group of about 25,000 Palestinian Authority supporters in Gaza who have been vetted by Israel: According to the US release, Hamas has told the media that it is “prepared to give up the security guards to the interim governing authority.”
Recall that the US authorities confirmed on Wednesday that they are “cautiously optimistic” about the ceasefire negotiations: White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that things are going in a good direction. There are still gaps between the two sides. He explained: “We believe that these gaps can be narrowed, and that is what Brett McGurk and CIA Director Bill Burns are trying to do now.”
Ceasefire negotiations, taking place in Qatar, are set to resume on Thursday, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Galant confirming that a limited window has been opened to return the hostages to Israel.
Sources also said ceasefire talks in Qatar would resume on Thursday, with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant saying a limited window had been opened to return the prisoners to Israel.
Hezbollah’s Hassan Nasrallah stressed that if a ceasefire agreement is reached, the “axis of resistance” will stop its attacks on Israel. “If there is a ceasefire in Gaza, our front will also stop firing without discussion, regardless of any other agreement, mechanism or negotiations,” he said. “Hamas is negotiating in its name and on behalf of the Palestinian factions, and also in the name of the entire axis of resistance,” he added. “What Hamas accepts, we all accept.”
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