The head of Egypt’s State Information Service, Diaa Rashwan, said that his country has not yet received any responses from the Palestinian resistance and Israel to its proposal to end the bloodshed in Gaza, while Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that negotiations are still ongoing regarding the return of detainees from the Strip.
Rashwan added that Egypt presented a framework for a proposal to try to bring viewpoints closer between the concerned parties in an effort to stop the aggression against Gaza and restore stability to the region, noting that when the responses arrive, the proposal will be developed in detail and announced in full to Egyptian, Arab and international public opinion.
He continued, saying that this framework was formulated after Egypt listened to the views of all concerned parties.
Haniyeh (right) met Kamel during his recent visit to Cairo and received from him a three-stage Egyptian proposal (agencies)
Text of the Egyptian proposal
A few days ago, the head of the Egyptian Intelligence Service, Abbas Kamel, presented to the delegation of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which recently visited Cairo and was headed by the head of the movement’s political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, an Egyptian initiative for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reaching an agreement regarding the exchange of Israeli detainees in the Gaza Strip and Palestinian prisoners. There are 3 stages in Israeli prisons, as follows:
The first stage:
1- It includes a humanitarian deal extending from 7 to 10 days during which Hamas will release all of its civilians, including women, children, the sick, and the elderly, in exchange for Israel releasing an appropriate, agreed-upon number of its Palestinian prisoners, as follows:
A- A complete ceasefire in all areas of the Gaza Strip on both sides, the redeployment of Israeli forces away from the vicinity of population centers, and allowing the freedom of movement of citizens from south to north, as well as the movement of cars and trucks, at a time when Hamas is committed to stopping all forms of operations against Israel.
B- Cease all forms of Israeli air activity, including drones and reconnaissance aircraft, in all areas of the Gaza Strip.
C- Intensifying the entry of humanitarian and relief aid (medicines, medical supplies, fuel, and food) into all areas of the Gaza Strip, especially between Gaza and the northern Gaza Strip.
The second phase:
2- The second phase includes the release of all female soldiers detained by Hamas, in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners held inside Israeli prisons agreed upon by both sides, as well as the handover of all bodies held by both sides since the start of operations on October 7, 2023. This phase extends for a period of 7 days, according to the standards and procedures in the first stage.
third level:
3- During which negotiations will take place for a period of one month about Hamas’s release of all its Israeli recruits, in exchange for Israel’s release of a number agreed upon by both sides of the Palestinian prisoners inside Israeli prisons, provided that during this stage the Israeli forces are redeployed outside the borders of the Gaza Strip, with the continuation of the ceasefire. All air activities, and Hamas’s commitment to stop all military activities against Israel.
In a related context, Netanyahu confirmed during his meeting with the families of the prisoners on Thursday that there are ongoing contacts regarding negotiations to return detainees from Gaza, but he cannot reveal the details.
A few days ago, Israeli Army Radio revealed that the Netanyahu government recently sent a senior official to Cairo, as part of its efforts to reach a prisoner exchange deal with Hamas, which insists on stopping the aggression before starting negotiations on this file.
Last Saturday, Israeli Channel 12 quoted an Israeli official as saying, “We are in the waiting stage, preparing for days of decision regarding a new exchange deal.”
Israel’s efforts to reach a prisoner exchange deal during a temporary truce coincide with its incurring further losses in life and equipment, and the killing of many of its prisoners in the raids it launches on the Gaza Strip.
For its part, the Israeli army announced the killing of 485 soldiers and officers since the beginning of the war, including 158 killed since the start of the ground operation in Gaza late last October.
Hamas and Israel reached a temporary truce on November 24, which lasted a week and during which they exchanged prisoners of women and children, with Qatari mediation and Egyptian-American support.
Israel says that Hamas is still detaining more than 130 Israelis in Gaza, while Hamas stresses that the price for releasing its detainees includes stopping the aggression first, lifting the siege, and emptying thousands of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli prisons.
Since October 7, Israeli forces have been waging a devastating war on the Gaza Strip, resulting in the death of more than 20,000 Palestinians and the injury of more than 54,000.
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2023-12-28 18:12:51
