The president of Egypt declared on Sunday that his nation has suggested a two-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would result in the release of four hostages who are being held in Gaza. Israel and Hamas did not immediately respond because the most recent negotiations were anticipated in Qatar, another important mediator.
The proposal, according to President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, calls for the delivery of humanitarian goods to besieged Gaza and the release of some Palestinian inmates. He stated that it seeks to “move the situation forward” and that further talks would be held to establish a lasting cease-fire.
There have been several deadlocks in negotiations for a lengthier, phased cease-fire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has stated that Israeli forces will stay in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, despite Hamas’ demand that they leave the territory as a precondition. There hasn’t been a cease-fire since November’s weeklong pause in fighting in the earliest weeks of the war.
On Sunday, Egypt’s president announced that his country has proposed a two-day cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would free four hostages held in Gaza. Since the latest talks were expected to take place in Qatar, another key mediator, Israel and Hamas did not immediately reply.
According to President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, the plan calls for the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian supplies to the beleaguered Gaza. Its goal, he said, is to “move the situation forward” and that more negotiations will be undertaken to create a permanent cease-fire.
The talks for a longer, phased cease-fire have been at a standstill on multiple occasions. Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, has declared that Israeli troops will remain in Gaza until Hamas is destroyed, despite Hamas’ demand that they leave the territory as a precondition. There hasn’t been a cease-fire since November’s weeklong pause in fighting in the earliest weeks of the war.
The latest Israeli strikes in Gaza have killed at least 33 people, mostly women and children, as the offensive in the hard-hit and isolated area entered a third week. The U.N. secretary-general called the plight of Palestinians there “unbearable.” Israel said it targeted militants. Iran’s most powerful proxy is Hezbollah, which has stepped up firing on Israel in response to Israel’s ground invasion in southern Lebanon in recent weeks.
Satellite images showed damage to two secretive Iranian military bases, one linked to work on nuclear weapons that Western intelligence agencies and nuclear inspectors say was discontinued in 2003. The other is linked to Iran’s ballistic missile program. Iran said a civilian had been killed, with no details. It earlier said four people with the military air defense were killed. Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s 85-year-old supreme leader, said “it is up to the authorities to determine how to convey the power and will of the Iranian people to the Israeli regime.” Khamenei would make any final decision on how Iran responds.
The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency meeting Monday at Iran’s request. Switzerland, which holds the council’s rotating presidency, said Russia, China, and Algeria, the council’s Arab representative, supported the request. Hezbollah and the smaller Islamic Jihad militant group praised the attack but did not claim it. Tensions have soared since the war in Gaza began, and Israel has carried out regular military raids into the occupied West Bank that have left hundreds dead.
The Gaza Health Ministry’s emergency service reported 11 women and two children among 22 killed in strikes late Saturday in Beit Lahiya in the north. Israel’s military said it carried out a strike on militants. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and abducting around 250. Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed more than 42,000 Palestinians, with over half of those killed being women and children.
(AP)
