Another Chance at a Ceasefire and Update on Fundraiser for Hind Khoudary

Israel has sabotaged ceasefire deal after ceasefire deal. But with more of their soldiers killed in Gaza in the past month than since October 7, 2023, perhaps they're finally serious? One can dream.

hindkhoudary

A post shared by @hindkhoudary

If Gazans can smile, find reason for hope, and keep going, we can too. And we must.

THANK YOU FROM HIND!

On behalf of Hind Khoudary and the people of Gaza, thank you so much, to all of you who have donated so generously provide Palestinians under siege with items needed for survival. Thank you Mary, Zoe, Tegan, Liana, Byron & Shirley, Mica, Genie & Bill and Victoria (again!). Together, you have raised $1,805 already!!

As I wrote to some of you, Yvonne Fisher is having some issues with her PayPal account (possibly because so many donations were coming in from different parts of the world), so Hind has requested donations henceforth be sent via PayPal to Anna Langseth. Please put “For Hind Khodary - Starlink” in the memo. Thank you.

Unfortunately, I didn’t know that I had to ask you to put “Starlink” in the memo for the most recent round of donations, so while $200 has gone to help that purpose, the rest have gone to feed and provide necessities for the people in Gaza!.

Hind needs the Starlink set-up to continue reporting to the outside world about what is happening in Gaza, and Israel keeps turning off their internet.

If you would still like to donate to help this brave, steadfast Gazan journalist, please give here.

A PERMANENT CEASEFIRE IN THE OFFING?

Substack writer Alon Mizrahi is dubious, and rightly so, but I continue to hope.

As Alon, and I suspect all of you, know, Israel has stood in the way of a real ceasefire with Hamas, which could bring home both Israeli hostages held in Gaza, and Palestinian hostages held in Israel, for the past 15 months.

Reuters reported yesterday that Qatar has presented Israel and Hamas with what it describes as a 'final' draft for a ceasefire in Gaza, aiming to end the ongoing conflict (Courtesy of GeopoliticsUnplugged).

Jehad Abusalim wrote an excellent piece two days ago translating and summarizing key positive indicators.

Joe Biden claims he’s been talking to Netanyahu, to pressure him to accept the ceasefire, something he should have done on October 8, 2023.

And this morning I woke to Mohammed Mohisen’s beautiful essay, eloquently capturing what ceasefire will mean for the people of Gaza. I include it below and strongly encourage you to read it, and to please consider giving to Mohammed’s GoFundMe.

As I write this, Hamas has accepted the draft worked on so hard for the past several months. However, Israel is reporting that there are still details to hammer out, and that the final draft must be approved by the Israeli cabinet, which takes all of my optimism and flushes it right down the toilet, despite Mohammed’s encouraging take.

Please, pray, meditate, envision a true and lasting ceasefire in Gaza. NOW.

Mohammed Mohisen writes today from Gaza:

The people of Gaza live on hope, and with the recent news of a possible ceasefire agreement, cheers and shouts of “Allahu Akbar” echoed through the camps, their hearts lifting in hope that this agreement might come to fruition. Oh, Lord, we trust in You for goodness.

A ceasefire means halting the bombings and killings, but it also marks the beginning of a long, harrowing journey to search for loved ones, bury the martyrs, clear the rubble, and attempt to rebuild a semblance of a normal society. We await the news of a final ceasefire agreement with bated breath. Not to rejoice, but to pause, even for a moment, from counting the dead to mourn them, to tend to our wounded, to think of our prisoners, to bury those still beneath the ruins, and to tally what we have lost: lives, names, memories, stories, and countless landmarks. The agreement is the beginning of sorrow, not its end.

Everywhere I go, I hear the same question: Will we be among those who survive to hear the news of the ceasefire? Or will we be among those who died waiting for the end with joy in their hearts? I imagine the first moments after the ceasefire…

Two groups never leave my mind:

• The sole survivor.

• The families of prisoners and the missing, uncertain whether they are alive or martyred.

Oh Lord, strengthen our hearts, oh Lord. Give us patience, for patience is a great blessing we need to immerse ourselves in, oh God!

Tears will burst forth at the first moment. The long-postponed breakdown is just an announcement away for every death, every stone, every displacement, and every day lived in this massacre. These will be days of immense weeping in the streets and at the gates of cemeteries, in hospitals, and on the roads.

We are just days away from “the road to Gaza.” We’re coming back.

In the coming hours, a final ceasefire agreement in Gaza is expected to be reached.

The ceasefire draft agreement in Gaza, according to the Israeli Broadcasting Authority:

Phase One (42 days):

1. A temporary suspension of mutual military operations between the parties, with Israeli forces withdrawing eastward and away from populated areas to a zone along the border across all areas of the Gaza Strip, including Wadi Gaza (Netsarim Junction and Kuwait Square axis).

2. A temporary suspension of aerial activity (for military and reconnaissance purposes) in the Gaza Strip for 10 hours daily, and 12 hours on days when hostages and prisoners are released.

3. The return of displaced persons to their homes, and the withdrawal from Wadi Gaza (Netsarim Junction and Kuwait Square axis):

• a. On the seventh day (after the release of 7 detainees), Israeli forces will fully withdraw from Al-Rashid Street eastward to Salah Al-Din Street, dismantling all military installations in this area. Displaced persons will begin returning to their homes (unarmed), with free movement for residents across all areas of the Strip, and humanitarian aid entering via Al-Rashid Street from the first day without impediment.

• b. On the twenty-second day, Israeli forces will withdraw from the central Strip (especially the Netsarim and Kuwait Square axis) east of Salah Al-Din Street to an area near the border, fully dismantling military installations. Displaced persons will continue returning to their homes (unarmed) in the northern Strip, with ongoing free movement for residents across all areas.

• c. From the first day, sufficient and intensive humanitarian aid, relief supplies, and fuel (600 trucks daily, including 50 fuel trucks, with 300 for the north) will be brought in, including the fuel necessary for running the power station, commerce, equipment for debris removal, and the rehabilitation and operation of hospitals, health centers, and bakeries across all areas of the Gaza Strip. This will continue throughout all phases of the agreement.

4. The exchange of hostages and prisoners between both parties:

• a. During the first phase, Hamas will release 33 Israeli detainees (alive or dead), including women (civilians and soldiers), children (under 19 years old who are not soldiers), the elderly (over 50 years old), and injured or sick civilians, in exchange for a number of prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, as follows:

• b. Hamas will release all living Israeli detainees, including civilian women and children (under 19 years old, who are not soldiers). In return, Israel will release 30 children and women for each Israeli detainee released, based on lists provided by Hamas according to detention seniority.

• c. Hamas will release all living Israeli female soldiers. In return, Israel will release 50 prisoners from its prisons for each Israeli female soldier released.

5. The schedule for the exchange of hostages and prisoners in the first phase:

• On the first day of the agreement, Hamas will release three Israeli hostages (civilians).

• On the seventh day of the agreement, Hamas will release four more Israeli hostages (civilians).

• Afterward, Hamas will release three additional Israeli hostages every seven days, starting with women (civilians and soldiers). All living hostages will be released before the transfer of bodies.

• In the sixth week, Hamas will release all remaining civilian detainees included in this phase. In return, Israel will release an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners from its prisons based on lists provided by Hamas.

• By the seventh day, Hamas will provide information on the number of Israeli hostages to be released in this phase.

• In the sixth week (after the release of Hisham al-Sayed and Avra Mengistu among a total of 33 agreed Israeli hostages to be released in the first phase of the agreement), Israel will release 47 prisoners who were re-arrested after the Shalit deal.

• If the number of living Israeli hostages to be released does not reach 33, the remainder will be completed with bodies from the same categories. In return, Israel will release all women and children (under 19 years old) arrested from the Gaza Strip after October 7, 2023, in the sixth week.

• The exchange process is linked to adherence to the terms of the agreement, including the cessation of military operations by both parties, Israeli withdrawal, the return of displaced persons, and the entry of humanitarian aid.

• Palestinian prisoners released will not be re-arrested on the same charges for which they were previously detained. Israel will not re-arrest released Palestinian prisoners to serve the remainder of their sentence.

• Released Palestinian prisoners will not be required to sign any documents as a condition of their release.

6. The exchange of hostages and prisoners in the aforementioned first phase will not be considered a basis for the criteria for exchange in the second phase.

7. By the sixteenth day, indirect negotiations between the parties will begin to agree on the terms of the second phase of this agreement, including those related to prisoner exchange criteria (soldiers and others). Agreements on this issue must be reached before the end of the fifth week of this phase.

8. The United Nations and its agencies and other international organizations will continue to provide humanitarian services across all areas of the Gaza Strip throughout all phases of the agreement.

9. The rehabilitation of infrastructure (electricity, water, sanitation, communications, and roads) in all areas of the Gaza Strip will begin, along with the entry of necessary equipment for civil defense, debris removal, and this will continue throughout all phases of the agreement.

10. The introduction of supplies necessary for the establishment of shelters for the displaced who lost their homes during the war (at least 60,000 temporary housing units – caravans – and 200,000 tents).

11. After the release of all Israeli soldiers, the number of injured soldiers to be transferred for medical treatment through the Rafah crossing will increase, along with the number of patients and wounded allowed to cross, and restrictions on the movement of goods and trade will be lifted.

12. The implementation of arrangements and plans for rebuilding homes, civilian buildings, and destroyed infrastructure as a result of the war and compensating the affected under the supervision of several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

13. All measures in this phase, including the temporary cessation of military operations by both parties, relief efforts, sheltering, withdrawal of forces, and others, will continue during the second phase with ongoing negotiations on the terms and implementation of the second phase.

Phase Two (42 days):

14. The announcement of the return to sustained calm (a permanent cessation of military operations and all hostilities) will take effect before the exchange of hostages and prisoners between the parties – all remaining living Israeli men (civilians and soldiers) – in exchange for an agreed number of prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers, and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces outside the Gaza Strip.

Phase Three (42 days):

15. The exchange of bodies and remains of the dead between the parties after their discovery and identification.

16. The implementation of a plan to reconstruct the Gaza Strip over 3 to 5 years, including homes, civilian buildings, and civilian infrastructure, and compensation for all affected, under the supervision of several countries and organizations, including Egypt, Qatar, and the United Nations.

17. Opening crossings and allowing the movement of people and goods.

A crucial clarification… the agreement does not require “approval” in the sense of negotiating terms or amendments; it simply requires “ratification and signature” from each party at this stage. The mediators have completed the final draft and submitted it to Hamas for ratification, then it will be forwarded to Israel, which will convene the cabinet to ratify it.

The media says “approval from both parties is pending,” which is usually concerning for the people of Gaza. In reality, it is merely final ratification and signing.

No one celebrates if it concludes peacefully, marking the end of the war. No one outside Gaza celebrates. Gaza’s soil is steeped in the blood and bones of its sons. We will tread lightly, fearing to disturb the peace of the martyrs. We will begin an open-ended mourning that has been delayed since October 7. We will grieve quietly. We will count our dead. We will count the blossoms plucked too soon. We will sing lullabies to our children so they may sleep without fear of bombing. We will shed the tears that have been frozen in our hearts.

We will receive the news with reverence and awe, for we remain in the presence of the martyrs, the wounded, the dismembered, the disabled, the displaced, the homeless, the hungry, the orphans, and the widows. When we return to Gaza, we will remove our shoes at its gates, for every inch of it has been soaked with the blood of the innocent, the most honorable to tread God’s earth in these times.

A long time for tears.

A longer time for lamentation.

An eternal time for searching for meaning.

I am once again sharing my link, through which we seek support to face the astronomical rise in food prices caused by the brutal siege imposed on us in Gaza❤️🇵🇸

https://gofund.me/6d3bce17