Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry confirmed yesterdaythat there is a new proposal to reach a truce in the blockaded Gaza Strip.
“A proposal to reach a ceasefire in Gaza is on the table,” Shoukry said during a meeting of the World Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia.
He called on Hamas and Israel to study the proposal, without giving further details.”We must put an end to the ongoing crisis in Gaza in order to resolve the Palestinian issue,” Shoukry said.
An Egyptian intelligence delegation held talks with Israeli officials on Friday about a proposed cease-fire agreement in the Gaza Strip.
The new proposal includes Israel’s willingness to discuss “restoring sustainable peace” in Gaza after the initial release of prisoners on humanitarian grounds, two Israeli officials told Axios.
It is also expected that an Israeli delegation will visit Egypt on Tuesday to continue indirect negotiations with Hamas on a cease-fire in Gaza, KAN public service reported.
Hamas is estimated to hold more than 130 Israeli prisoners, while Tel Aviv holds more than 9,100 Palestinians in its prisons.
Hamas demands an end to Israel’s deadly offensive and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory of the Gaza Strip.
A previous agreement in November 2023 freed 81 Israelis and 24 foreigners in exchange for 240 Palestinians, including 71 women and 169 children.
In violation of the interim ruling of the International Court of Justice, Israel continues its attacks on the Gaza Strip, where since October 7th, according to the Palestinian Health Authority, at least 34,454 Palestinians have been killed, mostly women and children, and 77,575 have been injured.
Israel’s war has pushed 85 percent of the population of the Gaza Strip into internal displacement with acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60 percent of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the United Nations (UN).
Israel is accused of genocide before the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop the genocidal acts and take measures to ensure humanitarian aid is provided to civilians in Gaza.
E.Dz.
