Talks about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip are tough. Now Israel is willing to withdraw Israeli forces with more force than previously offered. However, it is doubtful that this proposal will represent a breakthrough in the negotiations. Israel has presented a new proposal for troop withdrawal, the Times of Israel reported, citing an Arab diplomat. Israel's insistence that the Israeli army remain in the southern coastal area is allegedly related to the government's controversial plans.
The latter wants to build a huge camp there for hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Critics speak of an internment camp that could lead to forced deportation in the long term. Israel speaks of a "humanitarian city" as a starting point for a "voluntary departure" for Gazans. Is it all just negotiating tactics? In Israel, there is speculation that the plan could be more of a negotiating tactic to persuade Hamas to make concessions or to get Prime Minister Netanyahu's far-right coalition partners to agree to a ceasefire.
Israel's indirect negotiations with Hamas have not made progress recently. One of the main reasons is differing opinions on the scope of the Israeli troop withdrawal, especially from the southern Gaza Strip. Israel had previously insisted that its forces remain in a relatively large area. This would include a three-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the border with Egypt near Rafah and the so-called Morag Corridor, which separates Rafah from the city of Khan Yunis.
Hamas is demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held before the collapse of the previous ceasefire in March. Israel's new proposal envisions that the Israeli army would only claim a two-kilometer-wide buffer zone along the southern border, near Rafah. More than 58,000 Palestinians killed The Gaza war was triggered by the unprecedented attack on Israel by Hamas and other Islamist terrorist organizations on October 7, 2023, in which some 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 taken hostage in Gaza. Since then, more than 58,000 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to the Hamas-controlled health authority. This figure, which is difficult to verify, does not distinguish between civilians and combatants.
