In Israel, the War Cabinet meets to discuss the Egyptian ceasefire proposal, which could lead to the release of more hostages held in Gaza; Also on the table is the investigation into developments on the northern border with Lebanon following the raid in Syria in which a senior Iranian “Pasdaran” official was killed. The Jewish press reports about it. The Egyptian plan, already rejected by Hamas and Islamic Jihad, calls for an end to hostilities in Gaza, Hamas relinquishing control of the Gaza Strip in exchange for a permanent ceasefire, and the release of all remaining hostages in three phases . The first phase involves the suspension of hostilities for two weeks, which can be extended to three or four, in return for the release of 40 hostages: women, minors and elderly men, especially the sick. In return, Israel would release 120 similar Palestinian security prisoners. The second phase would include Cairo-sponsored internal Palestinian talks aimed at ending the division between the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah and Hamas and leading to the formation of a technocratic government in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would rebuild the Palestinian Authority would clear the way for Palestinian parliamentary and presidential elections. The third phase would include a comprehensive ceasefire, with the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and the release of the remaining Israeli hostages, including soldiers, in exchange for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian security prisoners linked to Hamas and Islamic Jihad. including those arrested after October 7 and some convicted of serious terrorist crimes. Hamas political office head Ismail Haniyeh returned to Qatar on Saturday after a four-day visit to Cairo to discuss the Egyptian proposal with his supporters, while an Islamic Jihad delegation arrived in Egypt yesterday.
