Egypt Proposes Two Day Gaza Cease-Fire to Release Four Hostages, Some Palestinian Prisoners

Jack Khoury and Jonathan Lis / Haaretz
Egypt Proposes Two Day Gaza Cease-Fire to Release Four Hostages, Some Palestinian Prisoners People hold signs as they await news of hostages held by Hamas in Tel Aviv, Israel. (photo: Alexander Ermochenko/Reuters)

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Egypt's president proposed a plan for a short Gaza truce, followed by ten days of negotiations aimed at securing a permanent cease-fire. Sources familiar with the talks, however, say the chances this plan moves forward are low

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi announced on Sunday that Cairo has proposed a plan for the release of four living hostages in exchange for a two-day cease-fire in Gaza and the release of several Palestinian prisoners.

Al-Sissi added that the cease-fire would be followed by ten days of intensive negotiations aimed at achieving a permanent cease-fire. Later on Sunday, Mossad Chief David Barnea is expected to attend a summit in Qatar to attempt to renew negotiations for a deal.

The Egyptian proposal was presented to Shin Bet Director Ronen Bar during his visit to Cairo last week. It is described as a "preliminary deal" intended as a precursor to a broader agreement, with the goal of testing both parties' commitment to the process and their ability to "deliver."

Sources familiar with the talks, however, estimate that the chances of this move succeeding are low, in part due to statements against the proposal from both Hamas leadership and Israeli ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.

The Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat reported earlier on Sunday that senior Hamas officials indicated they would propose a single comprehensive deal involving the release of all hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. A senior Hamas figure told the outlet that the organization would hear new proposals from mediating countries, but "we prefer a comprehensive deal that will lead to an end to the war."

Sunday's summit will be the first tangible step towards a deal since the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar about two weeks ago. The summit will also include CIA Director William Burns and Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed Al-Thani.

The summit is an American initiative which seeks to establish a more intimate meeting between the three senior leaders in an attempt to break the deadlock in cease-fire negotiations. At the summit, Barnea and Al-Thani are supposed to finish drafting the latest outline that will serve as a basis for negotiations and replace the Biden framework on which talks have been based thus far.

Although Egypt's new intelligence chief, Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, will not participate in the meeting, the Egyptian initiative in the form currently presented by al-Sissi is up for discussion on Sunday night.

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