Gaza (QNN)- On Wednesday, the US announced the start of the second phase of Trump’s 20-point Gaza ceasefire plan. However, since the announcement, no progress has been made. Israel has continued to violate the agreement by bombing the enclave, killing Palestinians, blocking humanitarian aid, and keeping border crossings closed, as ICC-wanted Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the transition is largely symbolic.
Following the announcement of the transition to phase two, Israel has carried out attacks across the Gaza Strip, killing more than 10 Palestinians on Thursday.
What the US Say
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy to the Middle East Steve Witkoff announced on Wednesday the launch of the second phase of Trump's 20-point Gaza plan, “moving from ceasefire to demilitarization, technocratic governance, and reconstruction”.
Witkoff said in a social media post that the second phase will establish a transitional administration to govern over the bombarded Palestinian territory and see the “full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza”.
On Thursday, while Israel was bombarding Gaza, Trump announced he was backing the newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government in Gaza.
"I am backing a newly appointed Palestinian Technocratic Government, the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, supported by the Board's High Representative, to govern Gaza during its transition," Trump said on social media.
In another post, Trump said the "Board of Peace," of which Trump himself is the chair, was formed and its members would be announced shortly.
What Are the Terms of the Ceasefire?
On September 29, the US unveiled a 20-point proposal to end Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, release the remaining captives held in the enclave, allow the full entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged territory and outline a three-phase withdrawal of Israeli forces.
Some of the main conditions of the first phase, which is ongoing, include:
- An end to hostilities in Gaza
- Lifting the blockade of all aid into Gaza by Israel and stopping its interference in aid distribution
- Release of all captives held in Gaza – alive or dead – by Hamas
- Release of some 2,000 Palestinian prisoners and disappeared people from Israeli jails
- Withdrawal of Israeli forces to the “yellow line”
On October 10, Trump’s ceasefire took effect in the Gaza Strip.
Witkoff claimed that phase one “delivered historic humanitarian aid, maintained the ceasefire”.
Trump also said they “helped deliver RECORD LEVELS of Humanitarian Aid to Gaza, reaching Civilians at HISTORIC speed and scale.”
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Is this true? No. So, What Palestinians Say
In response to the announcement, the Gaza Government Media Office said on Thursday that Israel has violated the ceasefire in Gaza since it took effect on October 10 about 1244 times.
Here’s more details:
Attacks and Killings
The Office said Israel shot at civilians 402 times, raided residential areas beyond the “yellow line” 66 times, bombed and shelled Gaza 581 times, and demolished people’s properties on 195 occasions.
It added that Israel had also abducted 50 Palestinians from Gaza.
At least 449 Palestinians have been killed and 1,246 others wounded in Israeli attacks on Gaza since the ceasefire began, it added.
Humanitarian Aid
Israel has also continued to block essential humanitarian aid from entering the enclave despite the ceasefire stipulating that “full aid will be immediately sent into the Gaza Strip”. From October 10 to January 15, only 24,611 trucks have entered Gaza out of 57,000, averaging 259 trucks per day. That is only 43 percent of the trucks allocated.
In addition, Israel has blocked essential and nutritious food items, including meat, dairy, and vegetables, crucial for a balanced diet. Instead, non-nutritious foodstuffs are being allowed, such as snacks, chocolate, crisps, and soft drinks.
Shelters
The Office has warned of a rapidly deepening and unprecedented humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, as Israel continues to close border crossings and block the entry of tents, mobile homes, caravans, and other essential shelter materials, “in clear violation of existing agreements and international humanitarian law.”
The Office pointed to recent storms which have caused the collapse of 50 homes and buildings that had previously been damaged by Israeli bombardment, killing over 25 civilians. People have also died from extreme cold inside tents. At least seven children have died since November from severe colds.
Meanwhile, more than 127,000 tents are no longer usable, leaving over 1.5 million displaced people without even the most basic level of protection.
According to reports, Israel has attacked Gaza on 82 out of the past 97 days of the ceasefire, meaning there were only 15 days during which no attacks, killings or injuries were reported.
Despite Israel’s ongoing attacks, the US insists that the “ceasefire” is still holding and Israel hasn’t violated it.
Has Hamas Released All of the Captives?
Witkoff confirmed on Wednesday that the Palestinian factions in Gaza had returned all living captives and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased captives.
On October 13, as per the ceasefire deal, Hamas released all 20 remaining living Israeli captives in exchange for 250 Palestinians serving long prison sentences and 1,700 Palestinians abducted by Israel since October 7, 2023.
As part of the deal, Hamas is also expected to return the bodies of 28 Israeli captives in exchange for 360 Palestinian bodies held by Israel.
As of December 3, Hamas had returned 27 Israeli captives’ bodies, with only one remaining in Gaza.
The group has said it requires heavy excavation equipment to recover the remaining captive’s body buried under the rubble from Israeli bombardment after two years of genocide as more than 80 percent of structures in Gaza were destroyed.
Israel has so far returned more than 300 Palestinian bodies, many of which showed signs of severe torture. Many are still unidentified.
What About the "Yellow Line"
On October 10, the Israeli forces completed the first phase of withdrawal under the ceasefire deal to the “yellow line,” a non-physical demarcation line separating the Israeli occupation forces from certain areas of Gaza, while occupying roughly 53 percent of the Strip.
Israeli forces have been reportedly expanding the so-called “yellow line” in eastern Gaza, particularly in eastern Gaza City’s Tuffah, Shujayea, and Zeitoun neighbourhoods and Jabalia, squeezing Palestinians into ever smaller clusters of the enclave.
Until progress is made in all matters related to the disarmament of Hamas, Israel has no plans to withdraw from the Yellow Line in the eastern Gaza Strip. This was announced on Thursday on the "This Morning" program with Ilael Shahar, on Channel 2's News.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation, known as Kan, reported on Thursday that Israeli officials consider the so-called yellow line as a strategic area that will remain under Israeli control.
The Second Phase of Trump’s Plan
What Palestinian Factions Say
Hamas and Islamic Jihad said they agreed "to support the mediators' efforts in forming the Palestinian National Transitional Committee to administer the Gaza Strip as part of phase two while providing the appropriate environment" for it to begin its work.
An adviser to the head of Hamas’s political bureau told Al Jazeera on Thursday that discussions in Cairo are focusing on reopening the Rafah crossings, ensuring the entry of aid currently stockpiled on the Egyptian side of the border and securing an Israeli withdrawal.
Taher al-Nunu said Hamas “must work with mediators and the international community to achieve calm and a return to normalcy in Gaza” and praised the “great efforts” being made to implement what was agreed upon.
Al-Nunu also accused Israel of attempting to derail the ceasefire and said Hamas was “working with mediators to open the crossings, allow aid in and secure the withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip”.
Even Trump confirmed on Thursday that the Palestinians “are unwaveringly committed to a PEACEFUL future!”
What Trump’ Plan Says
The plan details six stages to the deal, beginning with Trump's announcement that the war in Gaza has ended and that "the parties have agreed to implement the necessary steps to that end."
The second step states that "the war will immediately end upon the approval of the Israeli government." Israel approved the first phase of the deal.
The third step calls for the "immediate commencement of full entry of humanitarian aid and relief" into the Gaza Strip, while the fourth step says that the Israeli army "will withdraw to lines agreed upon as per map X attached herewith, and this will be completed after President Trump’s announcement and within 24 hours of Israeli government approval.
“The IDF will not return to areas that have been withdrawn from, as long as Hamas fully implements the agreement." Hamas has not violated the ceasefire, according to reports and officials while Israel has violated the agreement repeatedly and has been expanding its control over areas of the Strip.
In the fifth step, which will take place "within 72 hours of the withdrawal of Israeli forces, all Israeli hostages, living and deceased, held in Gaza will be released."
While declaring all living and dead captives will be released during this 72-hour span, one of the fifth step's subclauses calls for "the establishment of an information-sharing mechanism…”.
"The mechanism shall ensure that the remains of all the hostages fully and safely exhumed and released. Hamas shall exert maximum effort to ensure the fulfillment of these commitments as soon as possible," it adds.
The next subclause states that "as Hamas releases all the hostages, Israel will release in parallel the corresponding number of Palestinian prisoners as per the attaches lists," followed by another subclause declaring "the exchange of hostages and prisoners will be done according to the mechanism agreed upon through the mediators and through the ICRC without any public ceremonies or media coverage."
Witkoff confirmed on Wednesday that the Palestinian factions in Gaza had returned all living captives and the remains of twenty-seven of the twenty-eight deceased captives.
As of December 3, Hamas had returned 27 Israeli captives’ bodies, with only one remaining in Gaza.
The group has said it requires heavy excavation equipment to recover the remaining captive’s body buried under the rubble from Israeli bombardment after two years of genocide as more than 80 percent of structures in Gaza were destroyed.
The final step listed says "a task force will be formed of representatives from the United States, Qatar, Egypt, Turkey and other countries to be agreed upon by the parties, to follow up on the implementation with the two sides and coordinate with them."
The second phase will establish a transitional administration to govern over the bombarded Palestinian territory and see the “full demilitarization and reconstruction of Gaza”, Witkoff said.
It includes the establishment of a “Board of Peace” chaired by Trump and the deployment of an “international stabilisation force” to oversee security in Gaza.
There was no mention from Witkoff in the initial statement about Israeli withdrawal or allowing critical humanitarian aid and critical supplies into Gaza and the opening of Rafah crossing.
The US administration did not even announce the timing of rebuilding Gaza as the second phase envisions launching a large-scale reconstruction effort, with the UN estimating the cost at roughly $70 billion.
A UN Security Council resolution adopted Nov. 18 states that Gaza will be administered by a transitional Palestinian technocratic government operating under the supervision of the Board of Peace led by Trump, according to the resolution.
The “technocratic” committee’s composition was coordinated with Israel, according to reports. The 15-member technocratic committee, named the National Committee for the Administration of Gaza, will manage day-to-day governance.
A Symbolic Move?
Netanyahu said Wednesday that the announcement of the transition amounted to a "declarative move" only.
Hamas has said it will dissolve its existing government to make way for the committee announced as part of the ceasefire’s second phase.
Bassem Naim, a member of the group’s political bureau, said Thursday that Hamas welcomed the announcement of the committee as a step toward establishing an independent Palestinian state. He said on X that “the ball is now in the court” of the United States and international mediators to allow it to operate.
Israel has insisted Hamas must lay down its weapons, while the Palestinian resistance group has rejected such demands, saying Palestinians have “the right to resist.”
Hamas has previously said that other matters, including the future of Gaza and Palestinian rights, should be addressed within "an inclusive Palestinian national framework, of which we will be an integral part and to which we will contribute with full responsibility."
It said “the resistance and its weapons are a national and legal right as long as the [Israeli] occupation persists”.
That right “cannot be relinquished until our full national rights are restored, foremost among them the establishment of a fully sovereign, independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital”, it said.
