By Ibrahim Khazen and Mohammad Sio
CAIRO (AA)— Egypt sent an Israeli proposal to Hamas on Monday, calling for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the start of talks to secure a permanent truce, according to Egypt's Cairo News channel, which did not reveal its sources.
The channel reported that Egypt received the Israeli plan and forwarded it to Hamas, which is now awaiting a response from the Palestinian resistance group.
There have been no comments on the report from Egyptian, Israeli, or Hamas authorities as of yet.
The development follows Hamas’ announcement on Saturday that a delegation, led by senior official Khalil Al-Hayya, traveled to Cairo to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators to advance efforts for an agreement to halt Israel’s offensive in Gaza.
Hamas expressed in a statement openness to proposals ensuring a permanent ceasefire, a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, an end to Palestinian suffering, and a serious prisoner exchange deal.
Earlier Monday, Israeli media reported progress toward a potential deal with Hamas backed by US guarantees, but previous prisoner swap talks have frequently stalled due to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's refusal to end the Gaza genocide.
In January, Egypt, alongside Qatar and the US, brokered a phased ceasefire agreement between Israel and Hamas, which Israel later violated by unilaterally resuming the war on March 18.
Netanyahu abandoned the deal’s second phase under pressure from his government’s far-right faction, according to Israeli media reports.
Nearly 51,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Gaza in a brutal Israeli onslaught since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.