Nearly eight months into Israel's war on Gaza,
Palestinians whose lives have been upended by death and destruction
see some light in the darkness.
That's after President Biden unveiled a new proposal to end
the war.
We welcome this. We hope the war will stop in
order for us to go back to our areas and
our houses in the north.
We have suffered a lot.
We hope he will support the Palestinian people and we
hope he is serious about reaching a ceasefire agreement.
We want a ceasefire because we are very tired physically
and psychologically.
The proposal lays out three phases.
The first would last six weeks and include a ceasefire
and withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza.
It would also include the exchange of Israeli captives for
Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
In a second phase, Israel and Hamas would work towards
a permanent end to hostilities and the third will involve
the reconstruction of Gaza.
This is truly a decisive moment.
Islam made their proposal.
Hamas says it wants a cease-fire.
This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really
mean it.
Biden described it as an Israeli deal,
but a statement from the office of its Prime Minister
says Israel's conditions for ending the war have not changed.
The destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities.
The freeing of all hostages and ensuring that Gaza no
longer poses a threat to Israel.
The American pressure on Israel,
or maybe on both sides.
A strategy of creating some ambiguity that will increase the
pressures,
all the pressures on Netanyahu,
not only from the United States,
also from Europe and the rest of the world.
Hamas has also reacted, saying the movement reaffirms its readiness
to positively engage and cooperate with any proposal on the
foundation of a permanent ceasefire,
complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,
reconstruction, the return of displaced persons to their homes and
the completion of a genuine prisoner exchange deal.
From massacres in displacement camps to being haunted by starvation
and disease in a strip of land rendered uninhabitable,
many Palestinians are clinging to the hope that a deal
will finally be reached that can change this reality.
Laura Khan, Al Jazeera.