Israel’s plan to end Gaza war – 7 June 2024
SEVEN months since the war broke out, Israel has planned a deal to bring the fighting in Gaza to an end.
On 7 October last year, Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, invaded neighbouring Israel, killed some 1,200 people and took 252 back to Gaza as prisoners.
Since then, Israel has bombarded Gaza with rockets and sent its army into the territory to hunt down Hamas leaders. More than 36,000 people there are said to have been killed.
Israel’s army says that it now controls the entire land border that surrounds Gaza, and that it has found 20 tunnels that Hamas fighters were using to smuggle in weapons.
Rallies and protests have been held in the UK and across the world demanding a ceasefire (a pause in the fighting) to allow food and medicine in to help people living in Gaza.
Israel’s prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, insists that there will be no permanent ceasefire until Hamas’ military is destroyed and all Israeli prisoners have been freed.
Israel’s three-point plan
Last Friday (31 May), US President Joe Biden announced that Israel had sent a proposal to Hamas to reach a permanent ceasefire and an end to the conflict.
It involves three stages. First, there would be a six-week ceasefire. During this, Israel’s army would withdraw from busy areas, 600 trucks each day would be allowed in to deliver aid to the people in Gaza, and the two sides would exchange some of their prisoners.
Then, all living Israeli prisoners, including soldiers, would be returned to Israel. Finally, Israeli prisoners who had beenkilled would be returned to Israel, and a major rebuilding plan for Gaza would begin, with help from countries around the world to repair homes, schools and hospitals.
Mr Biden said: “This is truly a decisive moment. Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it.”
Some politicians in Israel don’t want to do any deals until Hamas is destroyed. The country (along with the UK, US, EU and others) classes Hamas as a terrorist organisation. However, Hamas has said it felt “positive” about the deal, and the US believes that, if Hamas officially accepts it, then Israel will, too.
If that happens, the fighting will begin to draw to a close.
HAVE you seen this image?
If so, you’re certainly not alone. In days, it had been shared on Instagram nearly 50 million times, including by celebrities like Dua Lipa and Lewis Hamilton.
It depicts a vast sea of tents for residents of Gaza who have been forced from their homes because of the war. Some tents form the words “All eyes on Rafah” – a town in Gaza that has seen intense fighting in recent weeks.
But it’s not a real photo and was generated by artificial intelligence (AI). The BBC says it was shared first by a man from Malaysia, and it spread so well because it doesn’t show any graphic images, and it’s easy to repost.
The words “All eyes are on Rafah” were first spoken by a World Health Organization representative in February. While it’s not a real photo, 1.7 million peoplenin Gaza have been forced to flee their homes and many are living in large camps of tents.
