UN Human Rights Chief Condemns Israeli Offensive as "Ethnic Cleansing"
Hamas Proposes 60-Day Ceasefire and Release of Nine Hostages
On May 17 (local time), while Israel continued its offensive against the Gaza Strip, reports emerged that the Palestinian militant group Hamas had proposed a ceasefire negotiation. As the number of casualties in Gaza has surged, criticism of Israel has also been intensifying.
According to the BBC and other British media outlets, Israel and Hamas began new talks in Qatar, the mediator, on this day to discuss the release of hostages and a ceasefire. The talks began just hours after the Israeli military launched a new military operation, known as "Chariots of Gideon," aimed at taking full control of the Gaza Strip.
The BBC, citing Palestinian officials, reported that Hamas agreed to release nine hostages in exchange for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel. The official also stated that the new proposal includes allowing 400 aid trucks per day to enter Gaza and evacuating patients from the Gaza Strip.
On the other hand, Israel reportedly demanded specific information, including confirmation of the status of all hostages remaining in Gaza. Israel's public broadcaster Kan reported that if an agreement is reached, a ceasefire lasting between one and a half to two months would take place, with Hamas releasing 10 surviving hostages as a condition. In return, Israel is expected to release about 200 to 250 Palestinian prisoners.
Qatari media outlet Al Arabi Al Jadeed reported that during the resumed negotiations, a two-month cessation of hostilities was being discussed and that the United States was certain to be involved, according to a Hamas official. Senior Hamas official Taher Al-Nounou stated, "These negotiations started without any preconditions from either side," adding, "All issues are open for discussion."
Israel Katz, Israel's Minister of Defense, stated in a press release, "As the Israeli military launched the 'Chariots of Gideon' operation in the Gaza Strip, the Hamas delegation in Qatar changed its position and returned to the negotiations." He claimed that Hamas reversed its stance after the Israeli military began the so-called "Chariots of Gideon" operation, which focuses on reoccupying and maintaining control over Gaza, the previous day.
The intensified Israeli airstrikes have led to a surge in casualties in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian health authorities announced that more than 300 people had died in Gaza over the three days since May 15 due to large-scale Israeli airstrikes. Volker Turk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, strongly condemned the Israeli military's airstrikes that have caused mass casualties, stating that they amount to "ethnic cleansing" intended to expel Palestinian residents.
The Sunday Times, the Sunday edition of the British daily The Times, reported that if a ceasefire agreement is not reached within a few days, Israel plans to forcibly relocate Gaza residents to strictly controlled civilian residential areas. According to documents obtained by the Sunday Times from the Israeli military, Israel plans to establish a total of four occupation zones in the elongated territory of Gaza, with three civilian zones interspersed between them.
The previous day, U.S. broadcaster NBC reported that the Donald Trump administration was working on a plan to permanently relocate up to one million Palestinian residents from the Gaza Strip to Libya.
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