Israel is contemplating an Egyptian peace proposal amidst the war in Gaza. The potential agreement entails Hamas setting free 20 hostages captured in their October 7th operation, primarily women, the elderly and sick prisoners.
An Egyptian team travelled to Israel last Friday for discussions and Al Qahera Al Ekhbariya, an Egyptian media channel, noted that these negotiations were fruitful. Under this plan, Israel would consent to a one-day truce for every hostage freed, stalling the predicted attack on Rafah, a city in southern Gaza. Moreover, the agreement would permit inhabitants of northern Gaza to return home.
Although it remains uncertain if Hamas will assent to the proposal, which lacks their key requirement- a commitment from Israel to terminate the war, which has been ongoing for nearly seven months. Antony Blinken, the United States Secretary of State, intends to travel to Israel the following week to foster the Egyptian proposition.
CNN heard from Blinken on Friday that there may be a potential to establish a blueprint for Israel-Saudi Arabia normalisation and propose a two-state resolution for Israel and Palestine before implementing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.
A group of demonstrators, along with a team of US rabbis, congregated near the Erez crossing into northern Gaza on Friday, advocating for a ceasefire and the freeing of the hostages held by Hamas. The protestors accused the Israeli government of weaponising hunger against 2.3 million Gaza citizens by blocking critical humanitarian aid, leading to malnutrition and illness.
Pehr Lodhammar, a high-ranking official of the United Nations Mine Action Service, disclosed at a Geneva briefing that it would require 14 years to eliminate the war remnants in Gaza, including Israeli explosives that didn’t detonate.
A minimum of 10% of land service ammunition fails to detonate, he mentioned, adding it could take 14 years using 100 trucks.
The health ministry in Gaza, managed by Hamas, states the war has resulted in over 34,300 Palestinian fatalities. However, Israel reports that the unexpected Hamas offensive on October 7th captured 253 hostages and caused 1,200 fatalities. Israel also notes that 133 hostages captured by Hamas remain missing, with their survival status being unknown.
Israel has consented to let international observers inspect facilities where detained Hamas militants are held. This decision comes on the back of pressure from the UK, following allegations of conditions in these facilities violating international law. These reports emerged after the militants’ arrest post the assault on October 7th.
Israeli officials, including a judge, will accompany these foreign delegates as they scrutinise the living conditions of the militant captives first-hand. The Israeli security cabinet sanctioned this move, although two ministers from the far-right opposed it, citing Hamas’s denial to permit the Red Cross to visit Israeli hostages.
On a related note, ABC News disclosed on Friday that the Biden administration will not impose sanctions on Netzah Yehuda battalion of the Israeli army. The battalion had been under scrutiny for potential human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank prior to the ongoing Gaza conflict. Washington had supposedly planned to penalise the ultra-Orthodox battalion following an incident involving their soldiers in the death of Omar Assad, a 78-year-old Palestinian-American. Assad had suffered a fatal heart attack in 2022 subsequent to his detention, during which he was also bound and gagged.