CAIRO (AP) — Egypt has unveiled an ambitious initial proposal to end the Israel-Hamas war with a ceasefire, a phased release of hostages and the formation of a Palestinian government of experts to administer the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank, a senior Egyptian official and said a European diplomat on Monday.
The proposal came as Israeli airstrikes hit the center and south of the Gaza Strip heavily, destroying buildings belonging to families sheltering inside. In the Maghazi refugee camp, rescue workers pulled dozens more bodies from the rubble, hours after a strike leveled a three-story building and destroyed others nearby.
At least 106 people were killed, according to hospital records seen by The Associated Press, making it one of the deadliest strikes in Israel's air campaign.
The Egyptian proposal, drawn up with the Gulf state of Qatar, was presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments, but still appeared to be preliminary. It falls short of Israel's stated goal of destroying Hamas entirely and appears inconsistent with Israel's insistence on maintaining military control of Gaza for an extended period after the war.
Israel's War Cabinet, which includes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet later on Monday and discuss, among other things, the hostage crisis, an Israeli official said, but would not say whether they would discuss the Egyptian proposal. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
Before the meeting, Netanyahu promised: “We will not give up. … We're expanding the fight in the coming days and it's going to be a long fight and it's far from over.”
The war has devastated large swaths of the Gaza Strip, killing more than 20,400 Palestinians and displacing nearly all of the territory's 2.3 million people. UN officials warn that a quarter of the population is starving due to the Israeli siege of the territory, which is allowing only a fraction of supplies to arrive.
The rising death toll among Israeli troops – 17 since Friday and 156 since the ground offensive began – could undermine public support for the war that began when Hamas-led militants stormed communities in southern Israel on October 7, 1,200 People killed and 240 devastated hostage.
Israelis still largely support the country's stated goals of dismantling Hamas's government and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 prisoners. This is despite increasing international pressure against Israel's offensive and the rising death toll and unprecedented suffering among Palestinians.
EGYPTIAN PROPOSAL
The Egyptian proposal was an ambitious attempt not only to end the war but also to devise a plan for the day after.
It calls for an initial ceasefire of up to two weeks in which Palestinian militants would free 40 to 50 hostages, including women, the sick and the elderly, in return for the release of 120 to 150 Palestinians from Israeli and Egyptian prisons, officials said. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss ongoing talks.
At the same time, negotiations to extend the ceasefire and release more hostages and bodies of Palestinian militants were continuing, he said.
Egypt and Qatar would also work with all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to agree on the formation of a government of experts, he said. The government will govern Gaza and the West Bank for a transitional period while Palestinian factions resolve their disputes and agree on a roadmap for holding presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.
In the meantime, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate a comprehensive “all-for-all” agreement, he said. This would include the release of all remaining hostages in return for all Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza and the cessation of rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants. According to Palestinian figures, nearly 8,000 Palestinians are being held by Israel on security-related charges or convictions.
Egyptian officials discussed the outlines of the proposal with Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas, who visited Cairo last week. They plan to discuss this with the leader of the Islamic Jihad group, Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who arrived in Cairo on Sunday, the official said. The militant group, which was also involved in the Oct. 7 attack, said it was prepared to consider releasing hostages only after fighting ends.
A Western diplomat said they were aware of Egypt's proposal. But the diplomat, who requested anonymity to discuss the matter, doubts Netanyahu and his hawkish government would accept the entire proposal. The diplomat did not provide any further details.
INSIDE GAZA
Israel's offensive was one of the most devastating military campaigns in modern history. According to the Ministry of Health in Gaza, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants when it comes to deaths, more than two-thirds of the more than 20,400 Palestinians killed were women and children.
After Sunday night's strike at the Maghazi camp, first responders and residents searched through the ruble, many using bare hands or simple tools. The dead continued to stream into Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in nearby Deir al-Balah, where men prayed over several dozen corpses lying on the ground. Sobbing relatives opened body bags to take a last look or kiss a loved one's face. A man cried as he hugged a body the size of a small child wrapped in bloody plastic.
Another man knelt over a relative's body and shouted, “I swear to God, he was a man.” I swear to God, he was better than all of Hamas.”
The war's devastating impact in recent weeks has led to sporadic outbursts of anger against Hamas, something previously unthinkable during the group's 16-year rule over Gaza.
Aside from the Maghazi deaths, the bodies of another 80 people killed in strikes in the central Gaza Strip were also admitted to the hospital from late Sunday to early Monday, hospital records show.
Seventeen Israeli soldiers have been killed in combat since Friday, most in the southern and central Gaza Strip – a reference to the fierce fighting in and around the southern town of Khan Younis.
“The war exacts a very high price from us, but we have no choice but to keep fighting,” Netanyahu said on Sunday.
There was widespread anger against his government, which many criticize for failing to protect civilians on October 7 and for pursuing policies that have allowed Hamas to grow in strength over the years . Netanyahu has avoided taking responsibility for military and political failures.
“Over time, the public will find it difficult to ignore the high price that has been paid, as well as the suspicion that its loudly proclaimed goals are far from being achieved and that Hamas shows no signs of capitulating in the near future.” , wrote Amos Harel, military commentator for Haaretz newspaper.
In the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombing and shooting in the Jabaliya urban refugee camp, an area Israel said it controlled. The Israeli military said it had completed the dismantling of Hamas's underground headquarters in northern Gaza.
Israel has faced international criticism over the high civilian death toll, but blames Hamas and points to the militants' use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants without providing evidence.
Israel is also accused of mistreating Palestinian men and teenagers detained in homes, shelters, hospitals and elsewhere during the offensive. The military said it had arrested hundreds of Palestinians, including more than 700 who were transferred to Israel for further questioning over suspected links to militants. It has denied allegations of abuse and said those who have no ties to militants will be released quickly.
After his release, Gaza City resident Khamis al-Burdainy said from a hospital bed in Rafah that Israeli forces had arrested him after tanks and bulldozers partially destroyed his home. He said the men were handcuffed and blindfolded.
“We didn't sleep. We didn’t get food or water,” he said, crying and covering his face.
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Jobain reported from Rafah, Gaza Strip, and Lidman reported from Tel Aviv, Israel.
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