Egypt’s proposal for Gaza ceasefire still preliminary pending all parties' approval - Source

Ahram Online , Tuesday 26 Dec 2023

An Egyptian source said on Tuesday the country’s proposal for a Gaza ceasefire is still “preliminary” while a “comprehensive” one will follow once the approval of all parties is obtained, reported the Egyptian news outlet Al-Qahera News.

Palestinians search the rubble of a building following Israeli bombardment in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip on December 26, 2023. AFP

Over the past few days, Egyptian officials held separate talks with two delegations from Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements in Cairo on ceasefire and prisoner-captive swap efforts.

The Hamas delegation was headed by its chief, Ismail Haniyeh, while the Jihad delegation was headed by its secretary-general Ziad Nakhaleh.

The source asserted that Egypt has not received any responses to the proposal so far and did not provide further details.

However, several media outlets reported that Egypt proposed a phased initiative to bring a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end the Israeli war, which is now in its 12th week.

The proposal involves an extendable truce and a phased release of civilian Palestinians in Israeli jails in return for Israeli captives still believed to be held in Gaza.

This would be followed by the creation of an independent government in the strip, currently led by Hamas, in preparation for public elections.

The third phase involves the implementation of a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gazan cities.

Last week, Nakhaleh said any swap deal must be carried out only after a ceasefire and based on the principle of "all for all," meaning the release of all captives held in Gaza in return for freeing all Palestinians jailed in Israel.

Egypt and Qatar helped mediate a week-long cease-fire in November, in which Hamas freed over 100 captives in exchange for Israel's release of 240 Palestinian children and women detainees.

On Friday, the United Nations Security Council approved a much-delayed resolution to bring more aid into the blockaded Gaza Strip by ensuring "safe and unhindered delivery of humanitarian assistance at scale."

The resolution also called for creating "conditions for a sustainable cessation of hostilities" without calling for an immediate end to the fighting.

Since the beginning of its bloody war on Gaza on 7 October, Israel has killed over 20,000 Palestinians, including women and children, and wounded thousands of others.