Against the backdrop of the deadlock in hostage deal negotiations, caused by gaps between the parties' positions that mediators have failed to narrow, and efforts to prevent a war between Israel and Hezbollah - recently, and secretly, an alternative plan is being formulated between the parties.
According to informed sources, senior U.S. administration officials have come to understand that a staged deal "doesn't work," and therefore alternative ideas must be pursued.
A number of factors, both in Israel and the United States, have recently concluded that the intermediate stage must be skipped, as the entire negotiation process proves it makes it difficult for the parties to reach agreements.
The alternative idea proposes a comprehensive deal, in one stage, where all hostages, living and deceased, return to Israel in one go; terrorists are released from Israeli prisons; mediators commit to demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and removing Hamas leaders to a third country.
According to the alternative plan, in return for all the above-mentioned clauses, Israel would commit to leaving Gaza - with the mediators' commitment to place a multinational force in Gaza to oversee the implementation of the agreement, emphasizing the demilitarization of Gaza (dismantling Hamas' remaining missile depots, destroying tunnels, etc.).
Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and key activists of the terrorist organization would be given the opportunity to leave Gaza for a third country. Also, a large part of the heavy terrorists released as part of the deal would be transferred to third countries and not return to Gaza or Palestinian Authority territories.
Sources familiar with discussions on the alternative plan explain that "the entire current war on the Philadelphi Corridor revolves around the question of what will happen in the interim between stages of the deal. If one studies the outline presented by President Biden, one concludes that it's a matter of only a few weeks. After all, in the later stages, Israel commits to leaving all areas of Gaza, even if Israel doesn't believe that the parties will actually reach the implementation of stages B and C of the original outline."
An additional consideration is the fact that in Israel, the rift between hostage families is growing and widening, with relatives of soldiers and young men claiming that the current outline means a death sentence for hostages not released in the first stage. Proponents of the comprehensive deal idea believe that this plan is likely to receive broader public support than the current outline and unite the hostage families.
Regarding the issue of multinational force supervision over the implementation of the arrangement, emphasizing Gaza's demilitarization - several options are being considered, including a multinational force composed of American forces and Sunni Arab countries, as well as the possibility of hiring a private company to secure critical points.
If the comprehensive agreement is not implemented during a certain period, pre-defined in the agreement, it would be considered a breach of the arrangement and Israel would reserve the right to return to Gaza.
This alternative plan, including not assassinating Sinwar and his exit to a third country, corresponds with reports in Arab media. Sinwar has emphasized that his life safety and well-being must be guaranteed, meaning that Israel would commit not to assassinate him at all, from the time of the deal onwards.
According to the report, Yahya Sinwar transmitted short and clear messages, knowing they would pass through many hands - Palestinian, American, and Egyptian - and he estimates they will reach senior officials in Israel.
Maariv contributed to this article.
