CAIRO (Reuters) – Egypt, acting as a mediator, has presented a new proposal to Hamas for a ceasefire in Gaza, as reported by Egyptian state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV on Monday. However, a senior Hamas official has indicated that the proposal faces challenges. The proposal, which includes elements that Hamas finds unacceptable, is currently awaiting a response from the militant group.
According to sources cited by Al Qahera, Hamas has yet to provide a response to the proposal. Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri has stated that the proposal fails to meet the group’s key demand for Israel to commit to a complete cessation of hostilities. Additionally, Israel has, for the first time, called for the disarmament of Hamas in future negotiations, a condition that Hamas rejects outright.
Abu Zuhri emphasized that the issue of disarming the resistance is non-negotiable, stating, “Handing over the resistance’s weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion.” Israel resumed its offensive in March after a previous ceasefire ended in January.
The latest round of talks in Cairo on Monday aimed at restoring the ceasefire and securing the release of Israeli hostages concluded without a breakthrough, according to Palestinian and Egyptian sources. Hamas continues to demand that Israel commit to ending the conflict and withdraw its forces from Gaza, as agreed upon in the previous ceasefire agreement.
Hamas is willing to release the hostages in exchange for the cessation of hostilities and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, according to Abu Zuhri. Since the resumption of Israeli military operations last month, over 1,500 Palestinians have been killed, and hundreds of thousands have been displaced, with a blockade restricting supplies to Gaza.
Currently, 59 Israeli hostages are still held by militants, with Israel believing that 24 of them are alive. The situation remains tense as both sides struggle to find common ground in the negotiations.
(Reporting by Nidal Al Mughrabi, Yomna Ehab, and Jaidaa Taha; Editing by Leslie Adler and Cynthia Osterman)
