A delegation from Hamas is in Cairo this week for discussions with international mediators aimed at reviving the Gaza ceasefire deal, which Israel unilaterally destroyed last month by resuming its scorched earth bombing of the enclave. According to an internal draft circulated by Egyptian mediators and obtained by Drop Site, Hamas is being presented with a short-term proposal spanning 45 days aimed at forging a path to talks on a permanent ceasefire. It appears to scrap crucial elements of the framework from the original 3-phase deal signed by Hamas and Israel in January, which would have brought a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the declaration of a “permanent ceasefire.” The new draft proposal includes significant changes that Hamas is unlikely to accept, including the disarmament of Gaza.
According to the draft proposal, upon signing the agreement, Israel would cease its military attacks and overflights and Hamas would immediately release dual U.S.-Israeli citizen Edan Alexander “as a special gesture to the United States.” Alexander, a 21-year old New Jersey native, enlisted in the Golani Brigade of the Israeli army in 2022, after finishing high school. He was taken captive by Palestinian fighters who breached the “White House Outpost,” the Israeli military base near Kibbutz Nirim where Alexander was stationed, on October 7, 2023. On the second day of the agreement, Hamas would release five living Israeli captives in exchange for 66 Palestinians serving life sentences and an additional 611 who were taken by Israel in Gaza during the past 18 months. “These prisoners will be released simultaneously according to an agreed-upon mechanism, without any public parades or ceremonies,” according to the draft. …more
