Egypt has proposed a two-day cease-fire in the Gaza Strip in hopes of advancing a more expansive deal to end the Israel–Hamas war after more than a year of fighting in Gaza.
The Egyptian proposal would have Hamas release four hostages taken on Oct. 7, 2023, in exchange for some Palestinian detainees held in Israel and a delivery of humanitarian aid to the embattled territory.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi laid out the short-term cease-fire proposal during an Oct. 27 joint news conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.
Egypt has been one of the primary intermediaries in talks between Israel and the Hamas terrorist organization.
In November 2023, negotiators secured a week-long pause in the fighting, during which Hamas released about 100 of the 250 hostages taken by the terrorists on Oct. 7, 2023, while Israel released about 240 Palestinian detainees.
Israeli forces began their Gaza campaign in response to Hamas’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which left about 1,200 dead and thousands more injured.
For months, negotiators have pursued a phased deal to bring about a permanent cease-fire in Gaza and win the release of about 100 hostages still held in the Gaza Strip.
U.S. President Joe Biden announced a three-phase framework in May, but negotiations stalled in August. The Biden administration has signaled renewed hope for a permanent cease-fire since Israeli forces killed Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar earlier this month.
Laying out his short-term cease-fire proposal, Sisi expressed hope that this limited deal could “move the situation forward” for a more permanent deal.
It remains to be seen whether Israel and Hamas will accept the Egyptian proposal.
The Epoch Times contacted Netanyahu’s office for comment but did not receive a response by publication time.
Netanyahu’s office said the head of Israel’s Mossad intelligence service departed for the Qatari capital of Doha late last week to advance unspecified initiatives. The Qatari government also has played a close intermediary role in the cease-fire talks, as has the United States.
Asked about the Egyptian proposal at an Oct. 28 news briefing, U.S. State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: “I don’t want to speak to any specific proposals from the podium. I don’t think it’s helpful to get into them publicly.”
The Gaza Health Ministry, which operates under the auspices of Hamas’s political control of the Gaza Strip, assesses that more than 43,000 people have been killed in Gaza since the fighting started there last year.
Exact casualty figures cannot be independently verified at this time, and the ministry does not differentiate between combatants and noncombatants.
The Biden administration has been pressing Israel to expand humanitarian support for civilians in the Gaza Strip in recent weeks.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin sent a letter to Israeli officials on Oct. 13 in which they urged the Israeli government to take specific steps to improve humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip.
The letter warned that insufficient Israeli action could affect continued U.S. support for Israel and gave Israel 30 days to make improvements. Still, the U.S. government hasn’t specified exactly what consequences may follow if Israel doesn’t sufficiently improve conditions in Gaza.
Blinken announced a new $135 million U.S. humanitarian aid package for Gaza last week.
