President Biden Friday Outline a roadmap Israel’s proposal begins with an immediate temporary ceasefire, followed by efforts to end the war permanently and rebuild Gaza.
Here are some of the details, according to senior U.S. administration officials Biden briefed to reporters after the president’s speech, and Israeli officials who have discussed the possible deal.
The first stage
The two sides will observe a six-week ceasefire. Israel will withdraw its forces from Gaza’s main population centers and release some hostages, including women, the elderly and the wounded. Israel will exchange the hostages for the release of hundreds of Palestinian detainees. Aid will begin to flow into Gaza, with up to 600 truckloads a day. Hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinian civilians will also be allowed to return to their homes in northern Gaza. Most Palestinians fled the north under a mass Israeli evacuation order before the ground invasion began.
In the first phase, Israel and Hamas will continue negotiations to reach a permanent ceasefire. Biden said that if the negotiations take more than six weeks, the first phase of the ceasefire will continue until the two sides reach an agreement.
second stage
A permanent ceasefire would mean a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and the release of all remaining Israeli hostages, including male soldiers, in exchange for the release of more Palestinian prisoners.
It is also unclear who will govern the territory under the deal. Hamas could use the ceasefire to re-establish its rule in Gaza. In the past, the United States has said the Palestinian Authority, which is struggling to govern the West Bank, should be allowed to govern Gaza. Israeli officials, including Netanyahu, have generally rejected allowing either the Palestinian Authority or Hamas to govern Gaza.
The third phase
Hamas will return the remains of the hostages killed, and with support from the United States, Europe and international institutions, the rubble will be cleared and a three- to five-year reconstruction period will begin.
