How much of Hamas can remain? President Joe Biden has proposed a ceasefire plan. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is not yet on board. The key plank in dispute: how much of Hamas is intact, and thus able to carry out another attack.
The White House says Israel's military offensive in Gaza has crippled the terrorist group to such a degree that Hamas no longer poses a threat. The Israeli government says that it doesn't feel confident that this is true, and that it wants to see all of Hamas wiped out.
"Hamas says it wants a ceasefire. This deal is an opportunity to prove whether they really mean it," said Biden in a speech on Friday, announcing his plan. "Hamas needs to take the deal…[and end] this war that they began."
Biden's plan has three phases. The first, which would last for six weeks, would include a "full and complete ceasefire" as well as total withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas of Gaza and the release of many hostages taken by Hamas—women, the elderly—in exchange for "hundreds of Palestinian prisoners."
Phase two would involve negotiations between Israel and Hamas, but also the release of all remaining hostages and the total withdrawal of Israeli forces. The temporary ceasefire would be made permanent.
Phase three would involve rebuilding the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu's perspective: Israel isn't necessarily on board with a permanent, longterm ceasefire (pointing out that there was a ceasefire in place when Hamas carried out the October 7 massacre), and Netanyahu has said he wants Israel's "objectives [to be] achieved, including the destruction of Hamas's military and governing capabilities."
"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," added the prime minister.
Over the weekend, more than 100,000 Israelis took to the streets of Tel Aviv to pressure Netanyahu to accept the Biden-brokered deal. But parts of his political coalition have said that they reject the deal—and that if Netanyahu signs onto it, their parties will leave the coalition, bringing his government down. (For more on the internal politics, go here.)
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