Trump’s envoy has ‘good feelings’ about Gaza ceasefire talks. Here’s where things stand

By SAMY MAGDY and JOSEPH KRAUSS Associated Press U S President Donald Trump s Mideast envoy expressed optimism this week about brokering an agreement to halt the Israel-Hamas war and return more of the hostages captured in the attack that ignited it I have certain very good feelings about getting to a long-term resolution a temporary ceasefire and a long-term resolution a peaceful resolution of that conflict Steve Witkoff announced in Washington on Wednesday adding that a new U S proposal would soon be delivered to the warring parties Hamas meanwhile stated it had agreed with Witkoff on a general framework of an agreement that would lead to a lasting ceasefire a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza an influx of aid and a transfer of power from the organization to a politically independent committee of Palestinians Hamas has been designated as a terrorist organization by the United States Canada and the European Union Israel however has publicly ruled out any such agreement saying it would only agree to temporary pauses in the fighting to facilitate the release of hostages Israeli media have quoted personnel as denying that any agreement along the lines described by Hamas is on the table What do Israel and Hamas want Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has refused to end the war until all the hostages are distributed and Hamas is either destroyed or disarmed and sent into exile He has mentioned Israel will control Gaza indefinitely and facilitate what he refers to as the voluntary emigration of much of its population Palestinians and bulk of the international society have rejected plans to resettle Gaza s population a move experts say would likely violate international law Hamas has stated it will only release the remaining hostages its only bargaining chip in return for more Palestinian prisoners a lasting ceasefire and a full Israeli withdrawal It has offered to give up power to a committee of politically independent Palestinians that could oversee reconstruction Hamas is still holding hostages Around a third are maintained to be alive though a large number of fear they are in grave danger the longer the war goes on Thousands of Palestinians have been killed since Israel renewed its airstrikes and ground operations after ending a ceasefire in March Israeli mounted police disperse demonstrators blocking a road during a protest marking days since Israeli hostages were taken by Hamas into the Gaza Strip call for their release and an end to the war in Tel Aviv Israel on Wednesday May AP Photo Ohad Zwigenberg The dispute over whether there should be a temporary ceasefire to release more hostages as Israel has called for or a permanent one as Hamas wants has bedeviled talks brokered by the U S Egypt and Qatar for more than a year and a half and there s no indication it has been resolved What is the latest ceasefire proposal Witkoff has not publicized his latest proposal but a Hamas official and an Egyptian official independently endorsed specific of the details They spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks They say it calls for a -day pause in fighting guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages as it did in March Israeli forces would pull back to the positions they held during the ceasefire Israel ended that month Hamas would release living hostages and a number of bodies during the -day pause in exchange for more than Palestinians imprisoned by Israel including serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks Each day hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade slightly eased in fresh days has pushed the population to the brink of famine Palestinian women wait with their sick children for medicinal care in an overcrowded clinic in Gaza City Wednesday May AP Photo Jehand Alshrafi Why is it so hard to end the war Hamas-led terrorists stormed southern Israel on Oct killing specific people mostly civilians and abducting hostages More than half the hostages have been circulated in ceasefires or other deals Israel has rescued eight and recovered dozens of bodies Related Articles Trump commutes federal life sentence of founding Gangster Disciples kingpin Larry Hoover Trump administration cancels million Moderna contract to fight pandemic flu Representatives blast cancelation of surroundings grants in Chelsea Everett Former Connecticut governor who resigned amid corruption outrage pardoned by Trump Federal commerce court blocks Trump from imposing sweeping tariffs under emergency powers law Israel s ensuing military campaign has killed over Palestinians mostly women and children according to the Gaza Robustness Ministry which does not say how plenty of of the dead were civilians or combatants The offensive has destroyed vast areas of Gaza and displaced around of its population of roughly million Palestinians with hundreds of thousands living in squalid tent camps and unused schools Hamas has been vastly depleted militarily and lost nearly all of its top leaders in Gaza It likely fears that releasing all the hostages without securing a permanent ceasefire would allow Israel to launch an even more devastating campaign to ultimately destroy the group Israel fears that a lasting ceasefire and withdrawal now would leave Hamas with substantial influence in Gaza even if it surrenders formal power With time Hamas might be able to rebuild its military might and eventually launch more Oct -style attacks A broader resolution to the decades-old Israeli-Palestinian conflict appears more distant than ever The Palestinians are weak and divided and Israel s current governing body the largest part nationalist and religious in its history is opposed to Palestinian demands for a state in Gaza the West Bank and east Jerusalem territories Israel occupied in the Mideast war The last serious peace talks broke down more than years ago Magdy stated from Cairo