Israel officially acknowledged that it had received a proposal from Egypt aimed at brokering a compromise for a potential hostage release agreement. However, an Israeli official clarified that the country would not accept the terms, citing Egypt’s condition that Israel agree to a permanent ceasefire and withdraw all IDF troops from the Gaza Strip.
According to a report in the Saudi outlet Asharq Al-Awsat, an Egyptian official said the proposal had been shown to Hamas leaders. It outlined a plan under which roughly eight Israeli hostages would be freed in return for a ceasefire that would span anywhere from 40 to 70 days.
Hamas, however, demanded assurances that Israel would uphold the ceasefire even after the hostages were released. To address this, Egypt’s plan included a clause that the hostages would be released in a staggered fashion throughout one week, rather than all at once.
As part of the deal, Israel would agree to halt military operations against Hamas and allow humanitarian aid to flow back into Gaza. The agreement would also include the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the Israeli hostages. In parallel, further talks would resume regarding the second and third phases of a broader agreement reached in January.
Earlier in the day, Prime Minister Netanyahu met with Steve Witkoff, a Trump administration Middle East envoy. Following the meeting, a source close to Netanyahu remarked, “there are movements in Hamas and tonight’s meeting is critical. There is full coordination between Israel and the US. An effort is being made to release as many hostages as possible in the near future, and the message coordinated with Trump is always of decisive significance, and in these moments in particular.”
{Matzav.com Israel}