Egypt Makes New Proposal to Restore Gaza Ceasefire Deal
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by Reuters and Algemeiner Staff
Israeli military jeeps maneuver in Gaza, amid a ceasefire between Hamas and Israel, as seen from the Israeli side of the border, Feb. 17, 2025. Photo: REUTERS/Amir Cohen
Egypt made a new proposal last week aimed at restoring the Gaza ceasefire deal, security sources told Reuters on Monday.
The proposal follows an escalation in violence after Israel resumed air and ground operations against the Palestinian terrorist group Hamas last Tuesday, effectively ending a two-month period of relative calm.
The Egyptian plan suggests Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, with Israel implementing the second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, the sources said.
Hamas is still holding 59 hostages, with 24 of them thought to be still alive, among the more than 250 it seized in its Oct. 7, 2023, cross-border attack on Israel. Most of the rest have been freed in periodic negotiated exchanges.
Both the US and Hamas agreed to the proposal, the security sources said, but Israel had not yet responded.
A Hamas official did not confirm the proposed offer, but told Reuters that “several proposals are being discussed with the mediators to bridge the gap and to resume negotiations to reach common ground that would pave the way to start the second phase of the agreement”.
The sources said Egypt‘s proposal also includes a timeline for the release of all hostages in exchange for a timeline for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, backed by US guarantees.
Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the terms of the January ceasefire agreement but has said it is willing to negotiate a renewed truce and was studying proposals from US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.
Israel says it resumed its military operations to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza, adding that the terrorist group refused to agree to US proposals to extend the ceasefire.
It says it does its best to reduce harm to civilians and has questioned the death toll provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave.
