Cairo (TDI): Egypt has put forward a proposal for an initial two-day ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the exchange of four Israeli hostages held by Hamas for a number of Palestinian prisoners.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi announced this during a press conference alongside Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Cairo on Sunday, while Israeli strikes continued across Gaza, claiming 45 Palestinian lives.
Efforts to de-escalate the year-long conflict have resumed in Doha, with CIA and Mossad leaders participating.
El-Sisi suggested that talks aimed at a permanent ceasefire should commence within 10 days of implementing the temporary truce.
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Israel and Hamas have yet to respond to Egypt’s proposal.
Israeli officials, however, maintain that operations will not cease until Hamas is dismantled as a military and governing force, according to Reuters.
The truce negotiations are being led by the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, with an aim to end the war that began after Hamas fighters entered southern Israel on October 7 last year, causing over 1,200 Israeli casualties and seizing more than 250 hostages.
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The Gaza health ministry now reports nearly 43,000 deaths in the enclave due to Israeli retaliatory actions, with extensive destruction in the densely populated region.
Negotiations in Doha are pursuing a short-term ceasefire alongside a hostage exchange, with the hope that this temporary halt will pave the way for a lasting ceasefire.
Yet, despite multiple mediation attempts, a sustainable truce remains elusive.
Israel’s Latest Strikes
Israeli airstrikes continue in the north of Gaza, with Jabalia, the largest of Gaza’s eight refugee camps, remaining a focal point of the Israeli offensive.
Twenty civilians were killed on Sunday following airstrikes on homes in Jabalia, while an airstrike on a school housing displaced families in Shati camp resulted in nine deaths and twenty injuries.
The Israeli military stated it was investigating reports of the school strike.
