Trump took credit for something similar to Joe Biden’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza

Amidst the relief at the prospect of the hostages returning home and ending the carnage and destruction in Gaza, there are also many questions about why the hostages would return home and end the carnage and destruction in Gaza. A possible ceasefire between Israel and Hamas – which is being mediated with the help of Qatar – could not have been signed eight months ago.

For some observers, the main difference is the next US president, to whom Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will find it difficult to say no.

Donald Trump is putting “intense pressure… not only on Hamas and the Qataris, but also on us to reach an agreement,” Israeli Channel 14 political commentator Tamir Morag told his audience on Tuesday, referring to his conversations with officials within Netanyahu’s government.

On Channel 12, its political correspondent, Yaron Avraham, spoke in a similar tone.

Trump “lobbied hard, and clearly told the prime minister that he wanted to see an agreement before his inauguration” on January 20, Avraham said, adding that the draft proposal is “the same agreement” that was put forward on May 27 by the prime minister. Biden administration.

Which an offer He called for a permanent ceasefire, starting with the exchange of Palestinian hostages and detainees, along with an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas in Gaza. It also included an increase in humanitarian support followed by a long-term plan to rebuild the devastated enclave.

A Draft of the current agreement The report under consideration submitted to news agencies such as Reuters by Israeli and Palestinian officials contains all, or most, of the same provisions.

It is unclear precisely what, if any, leverage Trump used over Israel, but he pledged in December that “all hell will break loose” if there was no deal.

While this was widely interpreted as a threat against Hamas, there could also be ramifications for Israel.

Some Israeli observers believed that Netanyahu and the war in Gaza had simply become a distraction that Trump did not want to deal with — and that the prospects of being a historic deal-maker were significantly more attractive.

“I think Trump has other issues on his agenda,” said Yossi Beilin, a former labor minister in the Israeli government and a key figure who helped start the peace talks that led to the 1995 Oslo Accords.

Trump and Netanyahu have a “very fragile friendship,” he told CBC News, noting that while the two leaders may share authoritarian tendencies, they are not natural allies.

More than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza over the past 15 months – and the pace of Israeli bombing has continued unabated even as negotiators push for a final deal, with 27 more killed in the last day alone.

On the Israeli side, more than 1,200 people were killed during Hamas’ invasion of Israeli communities on October 7, 2023, most of them civilians, and another 403 soldiers lost their lives during the fighting in Gaza.

Hamas has taken nearly 250 hostages and dozens are believed to still be alive in captivity.

Under the terms of the ceasefire, Hamas agreed to return 33 hostages within the first 16 days, and then negotiate the return of the rest. Israel agreed to withdraw from most parts of the Gaza Strip, except for the buffer zone around the perimeter of the Strip. With the release of the hostages, Israel will also release more than 1,000 Palestinians detained in Israeli prisons.

Biden deal?

On Monday, US President Joe Biden appeared to take credit for the breakthrough, saying the current proposal is largely the same one he and his team tried to get the two sides to agree to eight months ago, to no avail.

Since then, through a series of failed negotiations, tens of thousands of Palestinians and more than 122 Israeli soldiers have been killed, as have at least eight hostages, some of whom were killed in Israeli attacks.

Biden and his Secretary of State, Anthony Blinken, have been harshly criticized by Palestinians, human rights groups and even some hostage families for their repeated surrender to Netanyahu.

Opponents blame the Biden administration for enabling horrific Israeli attacks on residential areas in Gaza and repeatedly failing to enforce so-called US red lines, such as when the Israel Defense Forces invaded the southern Gaza city of Rafah, threatening hundreds of thousands of people.

The hostages’ families hold American citizenship As the president wanted To make his deal with Hamas to free their loved ones, because they felt that the Israeli government was ignoring the Biden administration.

But alongside international pressure, domestic politics also likely influenced Netanyahu’s decision to agree to a deal this time.

After 15 months of continuous Hamas bombing, the “total victory” promised by the Israeli leader has become elusive.

The armed group is still firing rockets into southern Israel, and over the past 72 hours, nine Israeli soldiers have lost their lives in northern Gaza, and more than a dozen have been seriously injured.

While senior Hamas military leaders were killed, the group was also killed Showed flexibility By recruiting thousands of new members.

“The mood is bleak,” said Belén, a former government minister.

“The government says: Yes, we are winning… but you cannot continue with this interpretation for long.”

However, powerful voices within Netanyahu’s ruling coalition continue to pressure Israel to continue the fight.

Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir splurge About the pressure he put on Netanyahu that derailed previous ceasefire agreements — and urged his coalition partners to do the same this time.

Ultimately, however, Netanyahu may have calculated that standing up to Ben Gvir and returning the remaining hostages home alive would add up to a much-needed political win.

“The extreme right represents a burden for (Netanyahu). He has an interest in returning the hostages because it takes pressure off him and represents a victory for Israel,” Merav Zonszin, an analyst at Crisis Group Research, wrote on X. “Israeli public.”

Hamas has weakened

It is clear that Hamas’ weak position was also a factor in its decision to reach an agreement.

Despite its successful recruitment efforts inside Gaza, its broader strategic position has deteriorated since May.

Israeli forces killed its military commander and mastermind of the October 7 attacks, Yahya Sinwar, in October. Israel also assassinated many leaders of its main ally, Hezbollah, in Lebanon.

Iran, a major donor to Hamas and an important supplier of military equipment, has also been weakened by Israeli attacks.

In Khan Younis on Tuesday, in the middle of a tent city inhabited by hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes by the war, people told CBC News they hoped the armed group would not sabotage their chance to start their lives again.

Hala Abu Dabaa (30 years old) said, “We hope that Hamas will agree to these negotiations and try to end the suffering of the Palestinians.”

Alaa Odeh (32 years old) said almost the same thing.

“After this war is over, I hope that we will live in peace, that we will be able to build our homes again and live a life like others from all over the world.”