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Egypt Proposes New Ceasefire Plan for Gaza
Amid continued Israeli airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, which have led to the collapse of the fragile ceasefire since January 19, Egypt, known for its mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas, has proposed a new plan aimed at revitalizing the ceasefire agreement.
Two informed Egyptian officials revealed that Cairo has put forward a plan that includes Hamas releasing five living prisoners, including an American-Israeli citizen, in exchange for allowing the Red Crescent to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza and a one-week ceasefire. The Associated Press reported that the Egyptian official also confirmed that Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
A Hamas official expressed a positive response to this proposal, without providing further details.
These developments come after Israel ended the previous ceasefire, launching surprise airstrikes that resulted in the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians. Earlier, Hamas had rejected Israeli proposals aimed at amending the agreement to secure the release of more prisoners before the initiation of talks for a permanent ceasefire that were scheduled to begin in early February. Hamas announced that it would only release the remaining 59 prisoners in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, a permanent ceasefire, and an Israeli withdrawal from the heavily devastated region.
