We cannot allow ourselves to get used to the horror

Leaders have to find a way to end the suffering in the Israel-Palestine conflict

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Smoke billowing above destroyed buildings during Israeli bombardment in the besieged Palestinian territory. (Photo: Jack Guez/AFP)

The much-vaunted US ceasefire proposal for the war in Gaza is being approached with optimism amid talk of some kind of rapprochement between America and Iran.

Both can be viewed positively without the fact that Iran’s regime is ideologically opposed to Israel’s very existence and funds Hamas, and it’s just not as simple as Donald Trump would like.

The latest proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff appears to be the release of nine or ten hostages who are still alive, plus 18 bodies of dead hostages.

In return Israel will have to release approximately 125 prisoners, all life-termers plus 1,111 Palestinian prisoners from Gaza who were arrested after the October 7 attacks.

Added to this, Israel will also be required to release the remains of 180 dead terrorists and the ceasefire will last 60 days this time as negotiations get underway to end the war.

Key to these new negotiations about ending the war during this two month cessation of hostilities will be talks on how to persuade Hamas to release the remaining hostages.