This is what Israel and Hamas have on the table in their latest ceasefire plan

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CAIRO – Hamas formally agreed to a ceasefire agreement that could end the war in Gaza. Israel, however, insists that its main demands were not met in the proposal brokered by Egypt and Qatar.

The Palestinian militant group says the ceasefire would unfold in three phases of six to seven weeks each, with the release of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the gradual withdrawal of Israeli forces from the entire Gaza Strip and a increase in humanitarian aid.

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Israel has previously said it would accept neither a full withdrawal of its forces nor a permanent ceasefire.

Here’s what we know about the deal, according to a copy of the proposal released by Hamas.

Hostages for prisoners

The first phase would suspend fighting for 42 days.

During that time, Hamas would release 33 hostages, including the remaining Israeli women (both civilians and soldiers), as well as non-soldier youth under 19, adults over 50, and sick people.

Hamas would release three hostages on the third day of the ceasefire and release three more captives every seven days. Priority would be given to women.

By the sixth week, all civilians detained at this stage of the agreement should be free. If there are not enough living hostages in this category, Hamas would release their remains.

At that time, thirty Palestinian prisoners held in Israel would be released in exchange for each Israeli civilian hostage and 50 in exchange for each female soldier. Hamas also wants guarantees that the prisoners will not be arrested again on the same charges.

WITHDRAWALS OF ISRAELI TROOPS

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In the first phase, Israeli troops would withdraw from Gaza in a series of timed steps.

The military would withdraw from a coastal highway starting on the third day after Palestinian prisoners began to be released.

Then, on the 22nd, Israeli forces would leave central Gaza, east of the main road, toward a nearby area along the border.

Displaced Palestinians could return to their home neighborhoods in the north.

Israel would not fly military or reconnaissance aircraft over Gaza for 10 hours each day, and for 12 hours on the days of release of detainees and prisoners.

HUMANITARIAN AID

Starting on the first day of the ceasefire, Israel would allow “intensive and sufficient quantities” of humanitarian aid, with 600 trucks entering Gaza daily – including 50 trucks of fuel – and 300 trucks assigned to the hardest-hit northern Gaza.

Supplies would also be provided for temporary housing and repairs to Gaza’s damaged infrastructure.

STOP THE FIGHTING

Meanwhile, no later than the 16th day of the ceasefire, talks would begin to restore “sustainable calm,” which the proposal presents as a permanent cessation of hostilities by both sides and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

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PHASE 2

The parties would need to negotiate the exact terms of the second phase, which would also last 42 days.

Under the current proposal, Hamas could release all remaining men, both civilians and soldiers. In exchange, Israel could release an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees.

The releases will not occur until “sustainable calm” takes effect and all Israeli troops withdraw from Gaza.

PHASE 3

The third and final stage would include the release of the remains of deceased hostages still in Gaza, more prisoners held by Israel and the start of a five-year reconstruction plan. It is also at this time that Hamas wants to end Israel’s blockade of Gaza in cooperation with Egypt.

The plan says that Hamas would agree not to rebuild its military arsenal.

POINTS OF ELEGANCE

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called Hamas’ proposal a failed attempt to “torpedo” Israel’s military operation in Rafah. Israeli troops took control of the vital Rafah border crossing overnight on Tuesday, just hours after Hamas said it had accepted the ceasefire plan between Egypt and Qatar.

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On Tuesday, Netanyahu said the latest proposal fell far short of Israel’s demands. “Israel will not allow Hamas to reestablish its evil regime in the strip. “Israel will not allow it to rebuild its military capabilities,” Netanyahu said.

Hamas says it will make no more concessions under Israeli military pressure. “The text we agreed upon, before it was presented to us, was approved by all the mediators, including the American side,” Hamas political official Osama Hamdan said Tuesday. The Associated Press could not independently confirm these details about the negotiations.

The threat of a large-scale ground operation in Rafah threatens to widen a wedge between Israel and its main backer, the United States. But Netanyahu’s far-right coalition partners have threatened to topple his government if he calls off the offensive or makes too many concessions in ceasefire talks.

POST-WAR UNCERTAINTY

The proposal calls for a reconstruction plan that will last between three and five years, overseen by Egypt, Qatar and the United Nations. It is unclear who will govern Gaza during reconstruction, what will happen to Hamas during that time, and who will pay for the enormous reconstruction task.

The Biden administration says it will not accept the return of the Israeli military occupation of the Gaza Strip.

As a precursor to the creation of a Palestinian state, the United States has called for a political roadmap that includes the return of the internationally recognized Palestinian Authority, which Hamas expelled from Gaza in 2007.

Netanyahu and his right-wing government reject the Palestinian Authority’s role in Gaza and say they will never allow a Palestinian state.

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Callister reported from New York. Associated Press writer Abby Sewell in Beirut contributed.

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