CAIRO: Egyptian officials have suggested a preliminary plan to end the war in Gaza, western media reported on Monday.
As per reports the proposal, worked out with the help if Qatar, has been presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European states.
So far, no parties have agreed to move forward with the plan, but it comes after one of the deadliest weekends in Gaza after an Israeli airstrike target a refugee camp in the strip that killed over 100 Palestinians.
The plan calls for a weeklong cease-fire and Hamas would release about 40 Israeli captives in exchange for about 120 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
In the next phase would the bodies of Israelis and Palestinians killed during the war would be exchanged.
While in the third phase a permanent cease-fire would be implemented and all the captives will be freed.
New Palestinian governing body proposed to oversee Gaza
As per reports a new governing body of Palestinians would be established to oversee the Palestinian territories of Gaza and the West Bank.
The recent plan is the first to be led by Egypt rather than Qatar, which helped broker the first weeklong cease-fire of this war in November. During the pause in fighting 110 Israeli captives and 240 Palestinian prisoners were freed.
According to Gaza health ministry at least 20,674 Palestinians, mostly women and children, have been killed in unrelenting Israeli bombardments since October 7.
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The UN has said that some 1.87 million Palestinians, over 80 percent of Gaza’s population, have left their homes because of the Israeli bombardment of the besieged enclave.
The Israeli raids have almost destroyed entire neighborhoods in northern Gaza. Israeli ground troops have been facing heavy resistance from Hamas fighters in the area.
However, according to some reports both Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, have dismissed the Egyptian plan in Gaza. But the two groups are open to a pause in fighting and release of captives.
