Washington Post: Israel and Hamas Agree on 'Temporary Government' Plan for Gaza

The Washington Post reported that Israel and the extremist group Hamas have agreed on a 'temporary government' plan for Gaza during indirect negotiations resumed this week in Doha with mediation from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. This plan is part of the second phase of a potential agreement aimed at ending the war and releasing Israeli hostages. At the same time, a U.S. spokesperson expressed cautious optimism about progress in the indirect negotiations between Israel and the extremist group. Hamas is listed as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the European Union. The Washington Post, on Thursday, July 21, quoted a source in the Biden administration stating that Israel and Hamas have agreed that neither party will take over the temporary government in Gaza during the second phase of the agreement. The temporary government plan proposes the formation of a force consisting of 2,500 Palestinians supporting the Palestinian Authority in Gaza, which will be responsible for security affairs in Gaza after being trained by U.S. military officials. The American source interviewed by the Washington Post clarified that the identities of the supporters of the Palestinian Authority in Gaza have already been identified and approved by Israel. This source added that moderate Arab countries will support this structure. According to the report, Hamas has told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that it is 'ready to relinquish control over Gaza as part of a temporary settlement of the fate of this strip.' John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. National Security Council, stated that Washington is cautiously optimistic about the ongoing ceasefire negotiations in Gaza. He told CNN on Wednesday that 'the negotiations are moving in the right direction' and 'we believe we can reduce the gaps that remain between the parties.' According to Kirby, this is the goal that William Burns, the CIA director, and Brett McGurk, the White House special representative from the National Security Council, are currently pursuing in the Doha negotiations. David Barnea, head of the Mossad, who leads Israel's team in the new round of Doha negotiations, participated in a quadrilateral meeting on Wednesday with his American and Egyptian counterparts and the Prime Minister of Qatar. According to Haaretz, the quadrilateral meeting on Wednesday was 'decisive' in understanding whether it is possible to hope for completing the agreement in the coming days. The Israeli army's war in Gaza began following Hamas's surprise attack on Israeli territory on October 7 last year, which resulted in over 1,200 Israelis being killed and 253 others being taken hostage to Gaza. The war has now entered its tenth month. Yoav Gallant, Israel's defense minister, implicitly supported reaching an agreement for a ceasefire in the war on Wednesday. He stated in the Israeli parliament that Israel has sufficient capability to deal with the consequences and risks arising from a new situation. The defense minister announced that '60 percent' of Hamas militants have been killed or injured. He also informed the Knesset that the army has eliminated about two-thirds of the extremist Hamas militants during the nine months of war. While Hamas insists on a complete cessation of the war in Gaza, Israel hopes to secure the return of 120 hostages, either alive or dead, currently held by Hamas in Gaza. Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's finance minister, stated on Wednesday that the number of Israeli citizens taken hostage who remain alive is 'much lower' than figures reported in the media. The Israeli army had assessed that about 70 of the hostages are still alive. The proposed U.S. agreement suggests a three-phase solution, with the first phase involving a six-week ceasefire that should lead to the release of 33 living Israeli hostages, including all women and girls, men over 50, and the injured. In return, Israel will release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners and withdraw its army from densely populated areas of Gaza. The second phase of the agreement calls for the release of male Israeli soldier hostages and a 'permanent end to hostilities' along with Israel's withdrawal from Gaza. The third phase of the potential agreement focuses on a multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza with the support of Arab countries and other governments. Achieving a potential agreement in the Gaza war has also clarified the prospects for resolving the crisis of deadly conflicts over the past nine months along Israel's northern borders and southern Lebanon. Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal reported on July 20 that Israel will receive part of a shipment of heavy American bombs within weeks. American sources told the newspaper that 225-kilogram bombs will be sent, but heavier 900-kilogram bombs remain confiscated due to concerns about their use in densely populated Gaza. This type of bomb shipment was halted about two months ago when Israel was on the verge of entering the Rafah area in southern Gaza. Benjamin Netanyahu made this public and called for the lifting of the confiscation of the shipments. An American official cited by the Wall Street Journal added that Israel is concluding operations in Rafah. The Israeli defense minister, after a trip to Washington last month, stated that significant progress has been made regarding the supply of American munitions. According to Reuters, the U.S. has provided Israel with 14,000 900-kilogram bombs since the beginning of the Gaza war until two months ago. On Wednesday, the Israeli army urged all residents of Gaza City to move towards areas like Deir al-Balah and Al-Zawiyah as Gaza City is on the verge of becoming a 'dangerous war zone.' This is the first time in nine months that residents from this part of Gaza City have been ordered to evacuate. The United Nations stated that leaving Gaza only brings collective suffering to Palestinian families. If Gaza is evacuated, the number of displaced persons will reach 2.3 million, nearly equivalent to the entire population of this strip. Meanwhile, the Israeli army announced that an operation at a UNRWA school in eastern Khan Younis, which resulted in 30 deaths, aimed to strike Hamas forces that directly participated in the attack on Israel on October 15 last year. The Israeli army added that it will 'review' the manner of the operation, which may have also led to civilian deaths. Many Western governments and the United Nations have described the consequences of the attack on the mentioned school as horrific and called for a halt to such actions. On the other hand, on July 21, more explosive drones sent by Hezbollah Lebanon landed in northern Israel. Israeli media reported that Hezbollah drones, which landed in Nahariya, severely injured one Israeli and damaged homes in the western Galilee region. Hassan Nasrallah, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, stated on Wednesday that his group has achieved its 'goals' and that if a ceasefire agreement is reached in the Gaza war, Hezbollah's operations against northern Israel will also cease. In Israel, pressure from politicians and public opinion on the government and army to expand Israel's response in Lebanon has intensified following the death of an Israeli couple who were killed in their vehicle in the Golan Heights on Tuesday night.