Egypt proposes new truce as Israeli strikes hit Gaza, Hamas and US agree to terms

Egypt has put forward a new proposal to try to get the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal back on track even as Palestinian health authorities on Monday said Israeli strikes have killed at least 65 people in the enclave in the past 24 hours.

According to Associated Press, a Hamas official said that the terror group has “responded positively” to an Egyptian proposal without elaborating.

Reuters, citing security officials, reported that US has also agreed to the proposal while Israel has not yet responded.

The proposal, presented last week, comes amid rising violence following Israel’s resumption of air and ground operations against Hamas last Tuesday, which effectively ended a two-month period of relative calm.

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Health officials reported that nearly 700 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli strikes since the attacks resumed, including at least 400 women and children. Hamas also stated that several of its senior political and security officials have been killed.

The Egyptian plan proposes that Hamas release five Israeli hostages each week, with Israel initiating the second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, according to a Reuters report citing two security sources.

Hamas is currently holding 59 hostages, with 24 believed to still be alive.

A Hamas official didn’t confirm the proposed offer, but told Reuters that “several proposals are being discussed with the mediators to bridge the gap and to resume negotiations to reach common ground that would pave the way to start the second phase of the agreement.”

The sources said the Egyptian proposal also includes a timeline for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza, backed by US guarantees, in exchange for the hostages’ release.

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Hamas has accused Israel of breaking the terms of the January ceasefire agreement but has said it is willing to negotiate a truce and was studying proposals from US President Donald Trump’s special envoy, Steve Witkoff.

Israel says it resumed its military operations to force Hamas to release the remaining hostages it is holding in Gaza.

It says it does its best to reduce harm to civilians and has questioned the death toll provided by health authorities in the Hamas-run enclave.

Palestinian officials on Sunday put the death toll from nearly 18 months of conflict at over 50,000.

Israel launched its offensive in Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

In Rafah, the local municipality said thousands of people were stuck inside the Tel Al-Sultan area, where the Israeli military sent some of its forces, with families trapped among the ruins, with no water, food, or medicine.

The Palestinian Civil Emergency Service said 50,000 residents remained cornered in Rafah.

The Israeli military said troops had encircled Tel Al-Sultan to dismantle “terror infrastructure sites and eliminate terrorists in the area.”

UN Palestinian relief agency UNRWA said 124,000 people have been displaced in Gaza in recent days.

“Families carry what little they have with no shelter, no safety, and nowhere left to go. The Israeli authorities have cut off all aid. Food is scarce and prices are soaring. This is a humanitarian catastrophe. The siege must end,” it said on X.

With inputs from agencies