Egypt has presented what is described as an ambitious plan to end the war in Gaza with a ceasefire.
The proposal, which was presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments on Monday, would see Israel completely withdraw from the Gaza Strip, all captives held by Hamas and many Palestinian prisoners released and a united Palestinian technocratic government would be installed in Gaza. the enclave.
The proposal, developed with the Gulf state of Qatar, includes several rounds of captive and prisoner exchanges, Tel Aviv Tribune’s Bernard Smith reports from Tel Aviv.
In the first phase, Hamas would release all civilian prisoners in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners after a 7-10 day truce.
In the second stage, Hamas would release all female Israeli soldiers in exchange for more Palestinian prisoners, during another week-long truce.
In the final phase, the warring parties would engage in “a month of negotiations to discuss the release of all military personnel held by Hamas in exchange for many more (Palestinian) prisoners and the withdrawal of Israel from the borders of Gaza,” Smith said.
Nearly 8,000 Palestinians are detained by Israel on security-related charges or convictions, according to Palestinian figures.
Throughout the ceasefire, Egypt would also conduct negotiations to bring together the Palestinian factions of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, who would then jointly appoint a government of experts to rule the West Bank and Gaza, before the next elections, reports the Times of Israel.
Traction
The plan appears to be preliminary, and some are already suggesting it may struggle to gain traction with both parties.
Israel’s war cabinet was due to discuss the proposal on Monday, even as its army continued to bombard Gaza over the Christmas holiday, killing at least 100 Palestinians in 12 hours.
Experts noted that the cabinet, which has come under intense pressure to repatriate the remaining prisoners, is divided and may struggle to accept some terms of the deal.
“One of the challenges is to contrast a ceasefire with a truce,” Mohammed Cherkaoui, a professor of conflict resolution at George Mason University, told Tel Aviv Tribune. “The Palestinians are talking about a total ceasefire. The Israelis hear a “truce”, a pause.”
Cherkaoui added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should also step back from his stated mission of eradicating Hamas.
“On the one hand (Netanyahu) continues to negotiate indirectly with Hamas, but at the same time his main dream is to eradicate Hamas.”
“He lives in two separate worlds and he needs to unify them,” Cherkaoui said.
A Western diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press that Netanyahu and his hawkish government were unlikely to accept the proposal in full.
Separately, Reuters reported that Hamas and its ally Islamic Jihad rejected the proposal to give up power in the Gaza Strip, citing Egyptian security sources.
But later, a Hamas official denied rejecting the Egyptian deal. Izzat al-Risheq, a member of Hamas’ political bureau, said in a statement that the group had “no knowledge” of the information published in the Reuters report.
Israel is entering the 12th week of a devastating air and ground campaign in Gaza that has killed more than 20,400 Palestinians, including 8,200 children.
The airstrikes have destroyed much of the besieged enclave, destroying blocks of houses and entire neighborhoods, and displaced 1.9 million Palestinians who now live in “catastrophic” conditions with little food, water and of medicines, warn the United Nations.
There are still 129 prisoners in Gaza following the Hamas attack on Israeli territory on October 7, which also killed nearly 1,200 people.