Egypt’s president announced Sunday his country has proposed a two-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas during which four hostages held in Gaza would be freed. There was no immediate response from Israel or Hamas as the latest talks were expected in Qatar, another key mediator.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, speaking in Cairo, said the proposal also includes the release of some Palestinian prisoners and the delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged Gaza. It aims to “move the situation forward,” he said, adding that once the two-day ceasefire goes into effect, negotiations would continue to make it permanent.
This is the first time Egypt’s president has publicly proposed such a plan. There hasn’t been a ceasefire since November’s weeklong pause in fighting in the earliest weeks of the war, in which 105 hostages were released in exchange for 240 Palestinian prisoners.
Israel’s Mossad chief was traveling to Doha on Sunday for talks with the prime minister of Qatar and the CIA chief in the latest attempt to end the fighting and ease regional tensions that have built since Hamas' Oct. 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel.
Those tensions now see Israel at war with both Hamas in Gaza and with Hezbollah in Lebanon, and openly attacking Iran, their backer, for the first time this weekend. Iran’s supreme leader on Sunday said the strikes — in response to Iran’s ballistic missile attack earlier this month — “should not be exaggerated nor downplayed,” while stopping short of calling for retaliation.
During a government memorial for the Hebrew anniversary of the Oct. 7 attack, Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant said that “not every goal can be achieved through only military operations," adding that “painful compromises will be required” to return the hostages.
At the same event, protesters disrupted a speech by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, shouting “Shame on you." Many Israelis blame Netanyahu for the failures that led to the’ attack and hold him responsible for not yet bringing home remaining hostages.
