Hamas meets in Egypt to respond to Israel’s proposal for a temporary ceasefire in Gaza | World

Representatives of the terrorist group Hamas, which is at war with Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip, will participate in a meeting in the city of Cairo, Egypt, this Saturday (4) to respond to a proposed agreement that involves a temporary ceasefire and a hostage exchange with the Israelis.

In April, Hamas received a truce proposal that would include a halt to attacks and the exchange of Israeli hostages kidnapped in the Gaza Strip for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.

Hamas and Israel have been at war in the Gaza Strip since October 7, when the terrorist group invaded Israeli territory, killed around 1,200 people and kidnapped around 250. Of these, 105 were released in a truce. Currently, the Israeli government estimates that around 130 Israeli hostages are still in Gaza. Of these, at least 35 are reported dead by authorities.

According to health authorities in the Gaza Strip, which is controlled by Hamas, 34,000 people died in Palestine and 77,000 were injured by Israeli fire in the war. Israeli forces say 600 soldiers died in the fighting.

Egypt, which is a neighbor of the Palestinians and the Israelis, mediates the ceasefire negotiations.

William Burns, the director of the CIA, the United States intelligence agency, is in Cairo to participate in negotiations with Hamas.

In a statement, Hamas stated that it is going to Cairo “in a positive spirit” after studying the latest truce proposal. The group also said it has studied the ceasefire proposal and is determined to secure an agreement that understands Palestinian demands.

The government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said nothing about the negotiations,

Those who will travel to Egypt are Hamas political leaders, but they will probably will consult the group’s armed wing to provide a response on the proposed agreement.

The Egyptian government is concerned about the possibility of an attack on the city of Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip. It is a border region with the territory of Egypt. Since the beginning of the war, more than 1 million residents of the Palestinian territory have taken refuge in Rafah.

Prime Minister Netanyahu has already stated that Israeli forces will enter Rafah anyway, even if there was an agreement — according to the Israelis, Rafah is Hamas’ last refuge. The US, Israel’s biggest ally, has already stated that it is against the operation in the city.

According to the Wall Street Journal, the Israeli government gave Hamas an ultimatum: if within a week the terrorist group does not accept the ceasefire agreement, Israeli forces will invade the city of Rafah.

According to the newspaper, the terms of the proposal under negotiation are as follows:

• There will be an initial period of truce of up to 40 days.
• During this period, Hamas would release 33 hostages.
• If there is no disrespect to the terms of the agreement, the possibility of a longer-lasting ceasefire, lasting up to six weeks, opens up.
• During this other period, the parties would commit to releasing more hostages.
• If the terms of the agreement are observed, the pause in battles could last up to a year.

This is not the first ceasefire negotiation between the parties since the start of the war on November 7 last year.

In the talks, the parties generally agreed to release kidnapped prisoners and hostages, but on other points there was no agreement (such as, for example, the possibility of civilians returning to their homes in the north of the Gaza Strip).

Netanyahu said army will invade Rafah, even with ceasefire agreement

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, which also participates in the war against Israel in the Gaza Strip, listed on Friday some of the demands of Palestinian groups:

• A ceasefire.
• The withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip
• The return of people who had to leave their homes