Egypt Welcomes Islamic Jihad and Hamas to Talk About Cairo’s Ceasefire Proposal to End the Gaza War

According to a Hamas official, a Hamas delegation is scheduled to arrive in Cairo on Friday to provide its “observations” about an Egyptian proposal for a ceasefire that would put an end to the conflict in Gaza.

During a visit to the Egyptian capital last week, the leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas, who are both fighting Israeli soldiers in the region, were presented with the proposal.

According to sources close to Hamas, Cairo’s three-stage plan calls for alternating ceasefires, a gradual release of hostages held by Hamas in return for Palestinian detainees in Israel, and finally an end to the conflict that was started by the lethal assault on Israel on October 7.

It also calls for the establishment of a technocrat-led Palestinian administration that would lead reconstruction and governance in Gaza after the conflict, following negotiations with “all Palestinian factions.”

In reprisal for the October 7 strike, which killed around 1,140 people—mostly civilians—Israel has pledged to destroy Hamas, according to an AFP count based on Israeli numbers.

At least 21,320 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have died as a result of Israel’s unrelenting aerial bombing and ground invasion, according to Gaza’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.

Speaking under anonymity, the Hamas representative informed AFP on Thursday of the scheduled visit by the Hamas political office located in Qatar.

The official said, “Tomorrow, a high-level delegation from the Hamas political office will visit Cairo to meet with Egyptian officials and give the Palestinian factions’ response, including several observations, to their plan.”

“The modalities of the planned exchanges and the number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed, as well as obtaining guarantees for a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza,” the official said, are the main areas of emphasis for these observations.

Supported by Egypt and the US, Qatar assisted in mediating the first week-long ceasefire last month, which saw the release of 80 Israeli captives in return for 240 Palestinian detainees.

Head of Egypt’s State Information Services, Diaa Rashwan, affirmed on Thursday that Cairo had presented “a framework intended to bring together the views of all parties concerned, with the aim of restoring regional peace and security, and ending the shedding of Palestinian blood.”

According to Rashwan’s statement, “this proposal comprises three successive and interconnected stages leading to a ceasefire.”

Rashwan said that Egypt had not yet heard back on its plan, which would be made public “in detail” when Cairo had heard from all parties involved.

(This article was provided from a syndicated news source; News18 staff did not modify it.)