After months of negotiations and attempts, Israel and Hamas agreed on a cease-fire agreement. The agreement, hammered out by the United States, Qatar and Egypt, contains three phases.
The first involves the Israeli military gradually withdrawing to a buffer zone near the border, and Palestinians are allowed to return to northern Gaza. 600 trucks with emergency aid will be driven into Gaza daily.
At the same time, Hamas will release 33 Israeli hostages over a period of six weeks in exchange for over 700 Palestinian prisoners. During Sunday, three women are released from the hostages.
“The easiest phase”
Within Israel, there is opposition to the ceasefire from parties within the far right. The debate within the terrorist organization Hamas cannot be followed.
– We don’t know what forces there are within Hamas that can put a damper on the wheels, says Alexander Atarodi.
– Despite all the worries in phase one, it is still the easiest phase, says Atarodi.
Phase two: “Crack questions”
It is in the second phase, whose negotiations begin in two weeks, that the most difficult questions are to be found. That is when Gaza’s future development will be determined.
– This is actually where the complexity increases greatly. There are critical issues such as how many Israeli forces should remain in Gaza. And also the crucial question of how Gaza should be governed and rebuilt.
In the second phase, all remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza are supposed to be released. In the third and final phase, dead hostages must also be returned to Israel.
What are the main problems in phase two? Alexander Atarodi reasons in the video above.