By Zhang Yanyang, Deng Yushan
Hamas on Wednesday presented a detailed vision to Egyptian mediators on a ceasefire in the warring Gaza Strip, yet victory is still elusive for Israel, as the actual implementation and implications of the truce remain unclear.
A projected armistice would initially involve the gradual holding back of Israel's military activities, followed by a provisional ceasefire and eventually a halt to the insertion of Israeli troops into the Gaza Strip.
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Smoke rises following explosions from an Israeli airstrike in Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip, Jan. 13, 2009. [Xinhua]
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Subsequently, Israel would finalize agreements with Egypt regarding the monitoring of the Philadelphi Route at the Sinai- Gaza border where Hamas have allegedly smuggled in most of its arms.
Then a full ceasefire would be negotiated and enforced, while the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) would withdraw its troops from Gaza.
As the Hamas delegation left Cairo for Gaza and Damascus, and Israeli envoy Amos Gilad, chief of the Defense Ministry's Security- Diplomatic Bureau, heads for Cairo for discussions on the truce proposal, the actual outcome of the conflict remains unclear.
"All the Israeli channels are talking about Hamas basically agreeing to the ceasefire, claiming it as a victory, and saying that Hamas is really in trouble. However, from the statements made by Hamas, it is still not entirely clear what exactly they are agreeing to and whether or not they are standing by their demands, "Dahlia Golan, a professor in politics at the Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, told Xinhua.
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A Palestinian who was injured in an Israeli army strike is rushed to Shifa hospital in Gaza City, Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2009.[Xinhua]
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She noted that part of the blur was caused by an ideological split between Hamas' division in Syria led by Khaled Meshaal, which is generally less open to a truce, and the Islamist group's main organ in Gaza led by Ismail Haneya.