fbpx

News

Egypt presents long-term ceasefire plan as truce nears end

[ssba]

Egypt has apparently tabled a long-term plan for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas with the current 72-hour truce set to expire at midnight.

Delegations have held indirect talks through Egyptian mediators in Cairo for the past two days, but in the absence of any official comment, there have been conflicting reports over whether any progress has been made. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu yesterday postponed a meeting of the security cabinet, a possible indication that there have been no diplomatic developments.

However, it is widely reported this morning that Egypt has presented the delegations with a suggested framework for a long-term ceasefire. According to AP, under the plan, Israel would immediately end air strikes on Gaza and reduce the size of the buffer zone along the border. However, the Egyptian plan would postpone discussions on the most contentious issues, including the disarmament of the Gaza Strip as demanded by Israel and Hamas’s request for a removal of restrictions on movement in and out of Gaza.

There is also reportedly disagreement on Hamas’s demands for construction of a sea and airport, which Israel wants to link to demilitarisation. It is also thought that the Palestinian Authority (PA) could have a significant role to play in an agreement by controlling the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Haaretz reports that disagreement over supervision of borders and the goods permitted between them is also among the key issues on which disagreement remains.

The diplomatic situation appears delicately poised, especially with the current 72-hour truce ending at midnight. Israel’s Finance Minister Yair Lapid told Channel Two “It is possible that the fighting will begin again at midnight,” as the gaps between the two sides remain “wide.” Israel’s Defence Minister Moshe Ya’alon also warned that “it could be that fire erupts again.” However, Haaretz quotes an unnamed source close to the Cairo talks, saying, “The debate is mainly over the wording, not over the fundamental positions.”