Egypt proposes a new arrangement in Gaza following talks that were held at the Egyptian intelligence headquarters between Hamas and Palestinian Authority representatives. An Egyptian senior official has told Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth that the new plan includes a gradual cessation of fighting in Gaza with the Israeli side withdrawing from the Rafah crossing, resulting in a preliminary 60-day cease-fire.
401st Brigade Combat Team during the operation
(IDF)
About a week after the temporary cease-fire comes into effect, according to the Egyptian senior official, living Israeli hostages will be returned in exchange for hundreds of terrorists from Israeli prisons. During the 60-day cease-fire, Israel will maintain a military presence in Gaza. The proposal also deals with the possibility of Palestinian refugees returning to the northern Strip, as Hamas demands.
The Rafah crossing is expected to be managed and supervised by the Palestinian Authority. In previous proposals, Israel demanded to supervise the crossing via cameras. In addition, according to the senior Egyptian source, Hamas and the PA will establish a management committee, which will include about 10-15 "independent Palestinian political technocrats." The committee will be supervised by U.S. representatives.
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Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu
(Photo: IDF, Marc Israel Sellem, AP)
The Egyptian source emphasized that the first 60 days will be designated as a pilot for both sides and that, if the plan holds, it will be "the end of the conflict between the parties." As for practical feasibility, he claimed that "Hamas is demonstrating a positive attitude" and emphasized that the organization will agree to the establishment of a committee that will reactivate the crossings.
The goal is to reach an agreement before President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House. However, Hamas has yet to respond to the proposal and has not declared a change in its stance. As far as is known, the terrorist organization is still insisting on an end to the war and a complete withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip.
Trump wants a deal before the inauguration on January 20
Qatar is also returning to center stage while Egypt is mediating a deal. Trump's new envoy, Steve Witkoff, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed al-Thani in an attempt to reach a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip and a hostage deal before the inauguration. Currently, there are still 100 hostages in Gaza, and many of them are considered to be alive.
A source involved in the talks told Reuters on Wednesday that Witkoff met Netanyahu and the Qatari prime minister at the end of November. The same source said that this shows that Qatar has in fact renewed its involvement as a key mediator, after announcing that it was ending its role last month. He said that the Hamas representatives are expected to return to Doha soon and organize another round of talks.
Witkoff met the Qatari prime minister on November 22 in Doha. "Both agreed that a cease-fire is needed before the inauguration and then we can move on to other issues, such as stabilizing Gaza and the region," the source said. A day later, Witkoff met with Netanyahu in Jerusalem. Trump's envoy also met with the hostages' family members. "He spoke with them about the efforts of Trump's team to reach a deal before the inauguration," the source said.
According to the report, on November 24, two days later, Prime Minister al-Thani flew to Vienna and secretly met with Mossad chief David Barnea, who has been leading the negotiating efforts with Qatar for the past 14 months. "There are plans for another round, but no dates have been set yet," he said. In an interview with the British network Sky News, the Qatari prime minister said that Trump wants to reach a deal before he takes office, expressing cautious optimism.
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A senior Israeli official said earlier this week that if the terror organization agrees to a symbolic expulsion of Hamas leaders from Gaza, it might be possible to reach a deal that includes ending the war. The problem here is looks due to Netanyahu's inability to allow the image of Hamas returning to power.
But despite the cautious optimism in Israel, senior Hamas officials said that they are "waiting for a change in the Israeli position." Hamas is still standing by its demands: a cessation of fighting, the full withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza, a promise to rebuild the Strip and the introduction of intensive aid. On the other hand, Fatah officials who are discussing the "day after" with Hamas and Islamic Jihad said that there has been progress regarding Hamas's consent to the joint committee to manage the Gaza Strip.