Israeli man whose parents were killed on Oct. 7 calls for peace: "We must break this pattern of violence"
CBSDec 30, 2023
Latest Egyptian Ceasefire Proposal Leaves Out Gaza's Postwar Governance
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Image copyright: Maja Hitij/Getty Images
The Facts
An Egyptian-mediated Gaza ceasefire deal is reportedly making headway. The current proposal stipulates that, first, hostilities would end for 10 days, Hamas would exchange all civilian hostages for a number of Palestinian prisoners, Israeli forces would withdraw from residential areas, and Palestinians would be allowed freedom of north-south movement. Humanitarian aid would also be given access to the entire strip.
The second phase would see all female Israeli soldiers released for more Palestinian prisoners, as well as the transfer of all bodies held by both sides. A final phase would see all Israeli male conscripts exchanged for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw fully, the air campaign would end, and Hamas would cease all military activities against Israel. An earlier proposal called for a new governing body to oversee both the West Bank and Gaza, but this was dropped.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Though, of course, Israel has a right to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, it must wage this war in a humane way. The amount of civilians being killed will only galvanize Palestinians against peace and push them into the arms of Hamas. A more thorough and surgical campaign is now needed to eliminate Hamas' leadership in Gaza, as Israel is losing global support.
Pro-Israel narrative
Though this has been a tragic war, Israel cannot allow Hamas to survive. Though it seems that the Biden admin. wants to pressure Israel into a ceasefire, Israel must push back against such short-sighted thinking. Israel is a sovereign country and has the right to defend itself from terrorism and pursue its own interests. Hamas' military capabilities must be eliminated so that the group can never launch a terrorist attack like Oct. 7 again.
Pro-Palestine narrative
Israel continues to demonstrate that its war is not against Hamas but against the Palestinian people as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable. Israel is killing Palestinians at an unprecedented rate and clearly wants to make the Gaza Strip unlivable. Though the US, Israel's biggest ally, wants to minimize the war's intensity, it must instead exert more pressure to end the war completely.
