Egypt, Amid a Rising Death Toll in Gaza, Floats an Ambitious Plan To End War in Gaza

CAIRO — Egypt has put forward an ambitious, initial proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a cease-fire, a phased hostage release, and the creation of a Palestinian Arab government of experts who would administer the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and a European diplomat said Monday.The proposal, worked out with the Gulf nation of Qatar, has been presented to Israel, Hamas, America, and European governments but still appeared preliminary. It falls short of Israel’s professed goal of outright crushing Hamas and would appear not to meet Israel’s insistence on keeping military control over Gaza for an extended period after the war.Israel’s War Cabinet, including Prime Minister Netanyahu, will meet later Monday to discuss the hostage situation, among other topics, an Israeli official said, but would not say whether they would discuss the Egyptian proposal — a bid not only to end the war but also to lay out a plan for the day after.It calls for an initial cease-fire of up to two weeks during which Palestinian-Arabs would free between 40 and 50 hostages, among them women, the sick, and the elderly, in return for the release of between 120 and 150 Palestinians Arabs from Israeli prisons, the Egyptian official said.At the same time, negotiations would continue on extending the cease-fire and the release of more hostages and bodies held by Palestinian Arabs, he said. Egypt and Qatar would also work with all Palestinian Arab factions, including Hamas, to agree on the establishment of a government of experts, he said.The government would rule Gaza and the West Bank for a transitional period as Palestinian Arab factions settle their disputes and agree on a roadmap to hold presidential and parliamentary elections, he added. In the meantime, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate a comprehensive “all-for-all” deal, he said.This would include the release of all remaining hostages in return for all Palestinian Arab prisoners in Israel, as well as the Israeli military’s withdrawal from Gaza and the Palestinian Arabs halting of rocket attacks into Israel. Egyptian officials discussed the outline of the proposal with the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, who visited Cairo last week. They plan to discuss it with the leader of the Islamic Jihad group, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who arrived at Cairo on Sunday, the official said. The terrorist group, which also took part in the October 7 attack, said it was prepared to consider releasing hostages only after fighting ends.A Western diplomat said they are aware of Egypt’s proposal. The diplomat doubts that Mr. Netanyahu and his hawkish government would accept the entire proposal. The diplomat gave no further details.In Gaza, the devastation of the war over the past weeks has brought sporadic eruptions of anger against Hamas, something that would have previously been unthinkable during the group’s 16-year rule over Gaza. After Sunday night’s strike in the Maghazi camp, one area resident knelt over the body of a relative, screaming, “I swear to God, he was a man. I swear to God, he was better than the whole of Hamas.”Since Friday, 17 Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat, most in southern and central Gaza — an indication of the heavy fighting in and around the southern city of Khan Younis. “The war exacts a very heavy price from us, but we have no choice but to continue fighting,” Mr. Netanyahu said Sunday.

Egypt, Amid a Rising Death Toll in Gaza, Floats an Ambitious Plan To End War in Gaza

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