What’s in the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hamas

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• Geoff Bennett:

  Israel and Hamas are the closest they have been to a cease-fire in Gaza. That's the word from senior U.S. and Israeli officials, as well as a Hamas statement.

  Nick Schifrin is following all of this and joins us now.

  So, Nick, what's in the deal and how close is it to being done?

• Nick Schifrin:

  Regional and U.S. officials tell me, Geoff, as you just said, that they are as close as they have ever been since they started negotiating this deal, which would begin with phase one and a six-week cease-fire, during which Hamas would release 33 Israeli hostages, women, children, elderly and/or the wounded, including five female soldiers.

  Israel would release nearly 1,000 Palestinian detainees, 30 detainees for every civilian hostage that Hamas releases, 50 for every single soldier hostage that Hamas releases. And then Israel would also facilitate the arrival of 600 humanitarian aid trucks every day. The U.N. said that number today was 70. And Israeli forces would leave populated areas.

  And let me show you how that leaving of populated areas would work on the map. Israel would leave the corridor, the Netzarim Corridor, you see that in purple, that splits Gaza in two, but would remain on the edges of Gaza, including the Philadelphi Corridor that separates Gaza from Egypt.

  Now, Geoff, how close are they? A regional official told me today that Hamas actually accepted the deal, but they were still working on — quote — "the map" and implementation. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said they were on the brink of a deal. The final issues, officials tell me, are these, that where exactly, literally to the meter, that Israeli forces will be deployed along the border of Gaza, and also the names and the sequencing of the Palestinian detainees, many hundreds of which are convicted of terrorism and face life sentences.

• Geoff Bennett:

  So if there is a deal, and if it holds, what comes after those initial six weeks?

• Nick Schifrin:

  There's a phase two where you would see another round of Israeli hostages released, another round of Palestinian detainees released, and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.

  That would begin phase three, which is really the long-term phase. You would get the final Israeli hostages left, which, sadly, would be mostly the bodies of many of the hostages who are believed to have died in captivity, but you would get the long-term plans for Gaza and Palestinian future.

  But, Geoff, that is a long way away. Got to get through — got to get to phase one. You have got to get through phase one. And in order to do that, you have to get the Israeli Cabinet to agree on phase one. And you heard today from the far right national security minister, Itamar Ben-Gvir. He threatened to quit if this deal went through.

• Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israeli National Security Minister (through translator):

  The deal that is being formed is terrible. It brings back the threat of encirclement to the residents of Southern Israel, effectively erasing the war achievements that have been gained with much blood by our fighters.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Now, Ben-Gvir cannot bring the government down himself. And, Geoff, most of Israel seems to support this deal, which is really being given to them more as a hostage release than a possible end of the war.

• Geoff Bennett:

  To your point about phase three being a long way away, the Biden administration has crafted a plan for what would happen after the war. Is that right? Walk us through it.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Yes, this was unveiled for the first time by Secretary of State Antony Blinken today. It is incredibly ambitious, to say the least, Geoff.

  This — the idea would be to begin by creating an interim Palestinian government, then a — quote — "fully reformed Palestinian Authority." International troops would provide security in Gaza, but Blinken said the countries that would contribute those troops, they would only do so if Israel committed to a — quote — "time-bound, conditions-based path toward forming an independent Palestinian state."

  That is, to say the least, not something that the Israeli government has ever been willing to do, at least in this version of the Israeli government. A senior Israeli official told me tonight this is a — quote — "nonstarter," and even if they were to agree with this, the Palestinian Authority wouldn't be — quote — "capable" of doing it.

  Blinken, in his speech, was critical of everyone, Arabs across the region, for their — quote — "deafening silence" on Hamas, and he also criticized Israeli tactics in Gaza for having quoted — having created as many Hamas recruits as they have killed.

• Geoff Bennett:

  Nick Schifrin tracking it all, thanks, as always.

• Nick Schifrin:

  Thanks, Geoff.