Author: BlackMask Financial

Senior Hamas representative in Lebanon Osama Hamdan said on Tuesday that the temporary ceasefire proposal, which in his words was leaked by the United States as a way of influencing Palestinian public opinion, does not meet the militant group’s demands. “The Paris Summit draft is an American proposal and its goal is to give [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu more time to prepare for a new attack,” Hamdan told Al Araby, stressing that the leaked document is being used for “propaganda” purposes. In last night’s appearance on NBC’s “Late Night with Seth Meyers,” United States President Joe Biden disclosed that Israel agreed to halt attacks in the Gaza Strip during Ramadan. The reported six-week ceasefire deal, which was previously shared by Al Jazeera and Western media, would include a prisoner swap agreement that would see the release of roughly 400 Palestinians from Israel in return for the liberation of 40 hostages from the Gaza Strip.

Qatar: No breakthrough on Gaza ceasefire deal yet

https://youtu.be/330VT7d5Vac

The IDF presented a plan to the war cabinet this evening for the evacuation of Palestinians civilians from combat zones in Gaza’s southernmost city of Rafah and its operational strategy going forward, the Prime Minister’s Office says. The army “presented the war cabinet with a plan for evacuating the population from the areas of fighting in the Gaza Strip, with the upcoming operational plan,” the Hebrew announcement reads. In addition, the PMO says the cabinet approved the provision of humanitarian aid to south Gaza “in a way that will prevent the looting that occurred in the north of the Gaza Strip and other areas.” Israel is pressing ahead with plans for a military offensive in Rafah, Hamas’s last stronghold in Gaza and also where more than half the territory’s population of 2.3 million have sought refuge. Humanitarian groups warn of a catastrophe, with Rafah the main entry point for aid, and the US and other allies have said Israel must avoid harming civilians. Under US pressure, Israel’s political and military leaders have said the operation will not begin until the safety of non-combatants has been ensured. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said  that an Israeli military operation in Rafah could be “delayed somewhat” if a deal for a weekslong truce between Israel and Hamas is reached, as mediators work to secure an outline for a pause in fighting and hostage releases.

• “We really need this deal because we really need this pause,” a U.S. official told Axios on Saturday.
• The Biden administration is highly concerned about a possible Israeli military operation in Rafah, where over a million Palestinians are living.
• The U.S. fears the operation could move forward within weeks if a hostage deal isn’t achieved.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday that a hostage deal between Israel and Hamas will delay an IDF operation in Rafah, but stressed Israel will still conduct the operation later. The Biden administration is working to reach a hostage deal that would lead to at least six weeks of cease-fire in Gaza. U.S., Qatari and Egyptian officials presented a more detailed framework for a hostage deal to Israeli negotiators during a key meeting in Paris on Friday, sources told Axios. The updated framework proposes that Hamas release roughly 40 hostages held in Gaza in exchange for a six-week ceasefire and the freeing of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel, the sources said. The deal would also allow some Palestinians to begin returning to northern Gaza. NN: I see a  framework of a deal in place by Ramadan which starts in 14 days on March 11 and ends April 9th.

https://youtu.be/330VT7d5Vac

ALBAWABA –  Sources told AlArabiya that the current Palestinian government, headed by Mohammad Shtayyeh, will be resigning on Tuesday, and is most likely to be replaced with a Technocrat Government formed and headed by Dr Mohammad Mustafa as incoming Prime Minister. The source told AlArabiya that the new to-be-formed government will be solely a technocrat government, with competent ministers to handle the deteriorating situation in Palestine. Dr. Mohammad Mustafa is most likely to succeed Mohammad Shtayyeh, who has been occupying the position for almost five years. Many reports said that the White House has been pushing for forming a new Palestinian Authority (PA) to open a clean slate, moving past the corruption that has been eating at the PA for years.  Dr. Mohammad Mustafa is currently on the PLO executive committee as an independent member without any political ties. He’s held various leadership positions, like Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Economy. He also oversaw the Gaza Reconstruction in 2014 and attracted over USD 1.2 billion in foreign investments to Palestine, creating about 75,000 jobs. He’s also served as an economic adviser to President Abbas and worked with the Saudi Public Investment Fund and the Kuwaiti Government. NN: In essence they are organizing to replace Hamas in Gaza

Israel’s war cabinet is expected to convene Saturday night for a briefing on efforts advancing in Paris toward a deal to pause the fighting in Gaza and return hostages held there. Israeli media, citing people familiar with the situation, reported that talks on Friday involving the Israeli delegation and representatives from the US, Egypt and Qatar had yielded a breakthrough. The talks “were very good and saw real progress,” Haaretz reported, citing people it didn’t identify. The status of the talks couldn’t be independently verified. Based on the progress seen, the parties will soon be able to present Hamas with an updated framework for a deal to exchange Israeli hostages held in Gaza with Palestinian prisoners in Israel in the near future, according to the report. A foreign diplomat who wasn’t identified told Haaretz that “all sides are showing flexibility, and a deal could be reached even before Ramadan,” which starts on the evening of March 10.  Separately, the Saudi Asharq network reported that Hamas has softened some of its key demands around a possible hostage release deal. Hamas appears ready to accept an initial truce of six weeks instead of a permanent cease-fire, according to the network, which was cited by the Times of Israel. Axios on Saturday reported a proposal that Hamas release roughly 40 hostages in exchange for a six-week cease fire and the freeing of “hundreds” of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. The rising civilian death toll and severe humanitarian crisis in Gaza have increased calls for a ceasefire in the Israeli offensive aimed at wiping out Hamas, which is classified as a terrorist group by the US and the EU.

The US has called on Netanyahu to hold off the next stage of military action in Gaza, aimed at the city of Rafah in south, until he can provide a clear plan to help civilians.

Desperate Gazans have sought refuge in Rafah, and many are now living in tents and on streets, facing hunger and illness. Forcing them to return to areas razed by Israel’s ground and air assaults is expected to add to a death toll that’s already exceeded 29,000 in Gaza since war erupted, according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry. NN: Enormous pressure is on Israel to do this deal. Odds are this deal will happen. And it could knock $10 off the price of oil.

Haaretz quotes informed sources saying that the progress at the Paris summit will enable the sides to present to Hamas an updated framework for a deal. “Continuing progress is now up to Hamas,” it quoted an unnamed foreign diplomat saying. The Israeli source says that the outline will first be presented to the war cabinet for approval, followed by the wider cabinet. The Maariv newspaper reports that the war cabinet is set to meet tonight to hear updates from Paris. The next stage of the talks, according to the Israeli source, will focus on the central issue of which hostages held by terror groups in Gaza and which Palestinian security prisoners will be released in the truce, along with the specifics of the duration of the truce and the IDF’s deployment while it is in force. The reports note that these details are yet to be agreed upon. Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar were in Paris for the talks.. NN: Their is a deal to be had. And if not their will be a blood bath.