Egypt presents proposal for a truce between Israel and Hamas

Egypt presented a new truce proposal for Israel and the extremist group Hamas. The idea is that 20 Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for the freedom of Palestinian prisoners, in addition to a ceasefire that would last 3 weeks. The information is from the newspaper Wall Street Journal.

Israel helped draft the proposal. The last time there was an agreement to pause the conflict was in November 2023, which resulted in the release of Israelis. Hamas is reluctant to release anyone before the end of the war.

On other occasions, Egypt has brokered ceasefire discussions. The United States and Qatar also want to encourage negotiations between the countries.

Hamas representatives will arrive in Egypt on Monday (April 29, 2024) to discuss the possible agreement, the news agency said Reuters.

The Egyptian commission arrived in Israel to discuss the agreement on Saturday (27 April). It will also discuss a possible Israeli invasion of the territory of Rafah (south of the Gaza Strip, which borders Egypt), according to the CNN.

The site has become a refuge for people affected by the conflict, especially Palestinians. An operation could lead to many people entering Egypt, which worries the country.

There is also concern that all the hostages captured by Hamas are alive – which motivates countries to accelerate a truce agreement. The extremist group had to release a video on Wednesday (24 April) to prove that one of the prisoners was not dead. He is an American who lived in Israel.

The President of the United States, Democrat Joe Biden, said on Saturday (April 27) that he will not rest until all Hamas hostages are removed. “be back in our arms” of their families.