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The proposal on the table involved a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas, with the aim of exchanging hostages and prisoners between both fronts. Egypt proposed it, Hamas said it was open to considering it, but Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly rejected the suggestion of Egyptian head of state Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Egypt proposes two-day ceasefire to exchange Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners

Egypt’s proposal

Representatives from the United States, Qatar, Israel and Hamas appeared in Doha to formalize another round of negotiations to reach a ceasefire and an agreement for the exchange of hostages in Gaza. However, the only voice that has been heard so far is not present at this meeting, but has played a vital role in mediating conversations between the Israeli authorities and the Palestinian group throughout the last year of conflict. Al-Sisi was the first to launch a negotiation proposal:

• Two-day ceasefire in Gaza;
• Exchange of four Israeli hostages for a group of Palestinian prisoners;
• Resume dialogue 10 days after the implementation of the truce, to discuss a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas’s position

The Hamas proposal was not formally presented in Doha, but during a press conference in Cairo, together with the president of Algeria, after its representative, Khalil al-Haya, right-hand man of former leader Yahya Sinwar, met with Egyptians. mediators in the country’s capital. Before this meeting, a Palestinian source linked to the negotiations revealed to Reuters that the group is “willing to listen to new proposals,” but remains firm in its convictions.

Husam Badran, a member of Hamas’s political cabinet, confirmed these statements. and added that an agreement is indeed possible, in a statement released by the Shehab news agency.

“Our demands are clear and known, and an agreement can be reached, as long as Netanyahu remains committed to what has already been agreed,” said Badran, explaining that the Palestinian group’s conditions for being able to put ink on paper and sign any agreement, It will include the incorporation of the terms defined in the negotiations on July 2.

• Withdraw Israeli forces from Gaza;
• Allow the return of displaced people;
• Accept a serious prisoner exchange agreement;
• Allow humanitarian aid to enter Gaza.

Israel’s rejection

To join CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the head of the Israeli Mossad agency, David Barnea, also traveled to Doha to align positions. The Qatari prime minister’s office indicates that those responsible will discuss “the various possibilities of restarting negotiations with the aim of releasing the hostages in Gaza, based on recent developments” in the conflict.

Thus, he makes an indirect mention of Sinwar’s death, which left Hamas under the leadership of five heads instead of one. Israel believes it has the power to control the narrative discussed in Doha, the negotiating terms and, ultimately, the future of the conflict. Regarding the terms proposed by Egypt, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s response differs from that of most of his ministers, according to Israeli Channel 12. “Negotiations will only take place under fire,” Netanyahu said, categorically rejecting the possibility of a temporary ceasefire for a hostage exchange.

The Turkish Anadolu agency states that, in addition to the support of several ministers for the Egyptian president’s proposal, Israeli security forces also expressed a favorable opinion of the Egyptian mediation efforts. With 101 hostages still in Gaza, according to Israeli estimates (although Hamas has said several times that it does not know where all the hostages are), the conditions for reaching an agreement at the negotiating tables do not go beyond two days or two weeks of peace, as suggested above. During the last rounds of negotiations, there has been an impasse on several points, which it is not known if they are still obligatory for Israel, but which ended up causing the dialogue to be interrupted on other occasions:

• Completely dismantle Hamas, as a military and political force in Gaza;
• Be present in the Philadelphia corridor, on the border between Gaza and Egypt, south of the enclave;
• Release the 101 hostages, alive and dead, held by Hamas.

Although Netanyahu’s terms are not fully known, one thing is certain: the Israeli prime minister assures that the war in Gaza will continue until complete victory against Hamas, despite any possible and hypothetical agreement for a temporary ceasefire.