Here’s a Look at the U.N.-Backed Plan to Stop the War in Gaza.
The U.N. Security Council on Monday endorsed a cease-fire plan for the Gaza Strip that is backed by the United States, adding weight to an international effort to end the eight-month war. Neither Israel nor Hamas has publicly accepted the plan, but Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken on Tuesday held talks in the region to press for its adoption.
Here’s a look at how the cease-fire would work, and at some of the areas of dispute between the warring parties.
What is in the plan?
The plan would unfold in three phases.
Under phase one, there would be a six-week cease-fire and the release of hostages who are older or wounded, or who are women, as well as the return of the remains of some people who died in Gaza while in captivity. In exchange, Palestinian prisoners would be released from Israeli jails.
Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas of Gaza, and more humanitarian aid would be distributed in the enclave. Civilians, most of whom have been displaced, would be free to return to their homes, including in northern Gaza, an area devastated by Israeli airstrikes and fighting.
As all of this happens, talks over a permanent cease-fire would continue, with the goal of reaching phase two: the full withdrawal of Israel’s military, the return of all hostages and the freeing of more Palestinian prisoners.
