Report by Nada Andraos, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi
According to Abu Obaida, Hamas' military spokesperson, the conditions and demands as part of the Al-Aqsa Flood Operation are an integral aspect of its response to the framework agreement for halting military operations in the Gaza Strip, paving the way for complete and sustainable calm.
In a three-page document, Hamas delineated its response into three phases, each lasting 45 days, accompanied by detailed annexes outlining the first phase as an integral part of the agreement.
According to Hamas, the agreement aims to halt mutual operations and achieve complete and sustainable calm, captive exchange, and other points.
The first phase of the agreement for Hamas involves a temporary cessation of military operations, halting aerial reconnaissance, and the repositioning of Israeli forces away from populated areas in each Gaza Strip to align with the borderline.
Further details emphasize Hamas' steadfast adherence to three principles: the exchange of hostages, lifting the siege on the entire Gaza Strip and ending attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Additionally, amidst the war, a fourth demand for reconstruction and the return of displaced persons to their homes, with all necessary demands, has been added.
The detailed demands in the three phases include specifics regarding prisoner exchange operations:
- In the first phase, the release of Israeli hostages, including non-recruited women, children, the elderly, and the sick, in exchange for a specified number of Palestinians.
- In the second phase, the release of all civilian and recruited male prisoners in exchange for a specified number of Palestinians.
- In the third phase, the exchange of bodies and remains of deceased individuals from both sides upon identification.
Simultaneously, with each phase, humanitarian aid to the Strip will be intensified, including the entry of required fuel quantities and, most importantly, a temporary cessation of military operations.
Concurrently, alongside reconstruction efforts, humanitarian organizations will be allowed to provide services, set up shelter camps, and permit the entry of prefabricated homes and tents as displaced persons return to their places of residence across all areas of the Gaza Strip.
A critical component of the first phase stipulates that negotiations concerning the requirements to restore complete calm and reach an agreement are fundamental for implementing the second and third phases.