CAIRO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Sunday unveiled a proposal for a two-day ceasefire in the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza that would include a hostage release in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and could pave the way for a “complete ceasefire”.
In a joint news conference with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Sisi outlined a plan to facilitate humanitarian aid entry into Gaza, coupled with the release of four hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
The initial truce will be followed by more talks within 10 days aiming to secure “a complete ceasefire and the entry of aid” into the Gaza Strip, said. The initiative could potentially lead to further negotiations aiming at a more permanent ceasefire.
Meanwhile, CIA and Mossad chiefs are set to meet with Qatar’s prime minister in Doha to discuss a short-term truce. The meeting in Qatar, involving US, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators, will address proposals for an initial ceasefire of up to 10 days, during which humanitarian aid would flow into Gaza.
These negotiations, the first since similar talks stalled in August, focus on a prisoner exchange as well as a strategy for extending the truce based on both sides’ adherence to its terms.
While Sisi’s two-day truce would allow for preliminary exchanges, the broader Doha talks outline the gradual release of hostages, including American and dual US-Israeli citizens, in groups of five. The proposed terms also emphasize ongoing indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel throughout the truce period, with an emphasis on securing aid access and stabilizing the conflict zone.
The success of the ceasefire efforts hinges on the coordination of the hostages’ phased release, prisoner swaps, and both parties’ commitment to respecting the truce, The National reported citing sources familiar with the talks.
