Egypt proposed an ambitious preliminary plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas with a ceasefire, a gradual handover of hostages and the creation of a Palestinian government of experts that would administer the Strip. Loop and the busy West Bankan Egyptian official and a European diplomat said on Monday.
The proposal, mediated with Qatara country in the Persian Gulf, has applied to Israel, Hamas, USA and European governments, although it still seemed tentative. It did not meet Israel’s stated goal of completely crushing Hamas and did not appear to heed Israeli insistence that its army maintain control of the Gaza Strip for a long period after the war.
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The Israeli war cabinet, which includes the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was scheduled to meet later Monday to discuss the hostage situation, among other issues, said an Israeli official, who did not clarify whether the Egyptian proposal would be discussed. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media.
News of the proposal came after three especially deadly days in Loop before Christmasin which three airstrikes each killed dozens of Palestinians, and 17 Israeli soldiers were killed in ground fighting in the north, center and south of the territory.
The war has devastated much of Gaza, killing more than 20,400 Palestinians and displacing nearly all of the territory’s 2.3 million people.
The rising death toll among Israeli troops — 156 since the ground offensive began — could reduce public support for the war, triggered on October 7 when Hamas-led militants raided towns in southern Israel, killing 1,200 people. and they took 240 hostages.
Most Israelis support the country’s stated goals of crushing Hamas’s military and governance capabilities and freeing its 129 remaining captives. That support remains despite growing international pressure against the Israeli offensive and the huge death toll and unprecedented suffering among Palestinians.
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Egyptian proposal
The Egyptian proposal was an ambitious initiative not only to end the war, but also to outline a plan for the future.
It called for an initial ceasefire of up to two weeks, during which Palestinian militants would free between 40 and 50 hostages, including women, the elderly and the sick, in exchange for the release of between 120 and 150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons, according to the official. Egyptian. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss a negotiation still underway.
At the same time, negotiations would continue on extending the truce and the release of more hostages and bodies held by Palestinian militants, he said.
Egypt and Qatar would also work with all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to agree on the formation of a government of experts, he noted. That government would administer the Gaza Strip and West Bank during a transition period while Palestinian factions resolve their disputes and agree on a roadmap to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.
Meanwhile, Israel and Hamas would continue negotiating a global agreement. That would include the release of all other hostages in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and Palestinian militants stopping rocket fire into Israel. Nearly 8,000 Palestinians are held by Israel on convictions or security-related charges, according to Palestinian figures.
Egyptian authorities discussed the rudiments of the plan with Ismail Haniyehthe political leader of Hamas, who resides in Qatar and visited Cairo last week. They also planned to discuss it with the group leader. Islamic Jihad, Ziyad al-Nakhalahwhich arrived in the city on Sunday, the official said.
The armed group, which also participated in the attack on October 7said he was willing to consider handing over hostages only once the fighting ended.
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For his part, a Western diplomat said he was aware of the Egyptian proposal. But the person, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, doubted that Netanyahu and his belligerent government would accept the entire proposal. The diplomat did not give further details.
The Israeli offensive has been one of the most devastating military campaigns in recent history. More than two-thirds of the more than 20,400 Palestinians killed were women and children, according to the Gaza Ministry of Healthwhich does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its count.
Since Friday, 17 soldiers have died in combat, most in central and southern Gaza.
