Egypt proposed a multifaceted solution to end the Israel–Hamas war, raising the possibilities of a new round of diplomatic efforts to halt the war, even if temporarily.
The proposal, as reported by the Associated Press, would call for a phased release of the hostages held by Hamas in addition to the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and West Bank temporarily.
WHITE HOUSE DECLINES TO VETO BAN ON APPLE WATCHES AS DEADLINE EXPIRES
Egypt worked with Qatar on the proposal, which would not only end the war but lays out what happens once it ends, and presented it to Israel, Hamas, the U.S., and European governments.
The deal calls for a two-week ceasefire in which Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, a smaller terrorist group also involved in the war, would release 40 to 50 hostages, mainly women, the sick, and the elderly, in exchange for about three times as many Palestinians from Israeli prisons. This would maintain the 3-for-1 ratio agreed upon in the first ceasefire last month.
Egypt and Qatar would work with various Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to establish a new temporary government of experts, while they work toward presidential and parliamentary elections.
As they worked that out, both sides would negotiate a significant “all-for-all” deal, in which all remaining hostages would be released in exchange for all the Palestinian prisoners in Israel, in addition to Israel’s withdrawal from Gaza militarily and the cessation of Palestinian terrorists firing rockets into Israel.
Izzat Rishq, a senior Hamas official, issued a statement reiterating the group’s stance that a “complete end to the aggression” is a must.
Gershon Baskin, who negotiated from the Israeli side the 2011 hostage deal in which one Israeli soldier, Gilad Shalit, was traded in exchange for the release of 1,027 Palestinians held in Hamas, told the Washington Examiner weeks ago that he believed Israel should offer to release all of the Palestinian prisoners to pressure Hamas into a deal.
“The clock is ticking on the possibility for a deal because the military operation is moving forward and moving faster,” he said earlier this month.
Hamas instigated this war with the Oct. 7 terrorist attacks that left roughly 1,200 people dead. The victims in Israel’s largest terrorist attack in history were primarily civilians, many of whom showed signs of being tortured, beaten, or burned beyond recognition. They also kidnapped 240 people and brought them back to Gaza, while about half remain in captivity nearly three months later.
Israeli leaders declared their intent to destroy Hamas, to remove it from power in Gaza, and to demilitarize the U.S.-designated terrorist group. But they have caused overwhelming displacement, destruction, and death throughout the Gaza Strip in their quest to find, capture, or kill the Hamas leaders who planned the attack. A significant majority of the more than 2 million Gazan residents have been displaced from their homes, while limited necessities have health organizations warning about the possibilities of famine and outbreak.
The death toll, according to the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry, has exceeded 20,000, though that total includes both civilians and terrorists.
CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER
The U.S. would like to see Israeli forces reduce the number of their high-intensity operations and instead lean more heavily on special operators who can carry out targeted raids or missions to free hostages or go after Hamas leaders. Hamas embeds itself within the civilian population throughout Gaza’s most densely populated areas, thus putting them in harm’s way and forcing Israel possibly to incur civilian deaths or letting the terrorists go to save both them and the civilians.
An Israeli government official, Ron Dermer, who is a strong ally of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, is in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday meeting with U.S. leaders to continue discussions about the progression of the war and post-war plans.
