Egypt's New Proposal: 14-Day Ceasefire in Exchange for Release of 40 Israeli Hostages

On Sunday, December 24, Egypt presented a new plan under which Hamas must release 40 more Israeli hostages in exchange for a 14-day ceasefire accepted by the Israeli army. According to this 'three-phase' plan aimed at halting the fighting in Gaza, Israel must not only completely cease all military and intelligence operations in the Gaza Strip for two weeks but also release 120 Palestinian prisoners from its jails. In the second phase of the plan, officials from the Palestinian Authority will enter negotiations in hopes of establishing an emergency security government composed of all Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip. Finally, in the third phase of Egypt's proposal, a longer ceasefire, the release of more hostages, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli soldiers from the Gaza Strip will be realized. An Israeli official, in response to the publication of this plan, told the 'Maariv' newspaper that parts of this plan are 'unacceptable,' but 'the Egyptian initiative could lead to negotiations.' Netanyahu emphasized the continuation of the war; 9 Israeli soldiers were killed in Gaza. Israel demanded the withdrawal of Egyptian forces from the Rafah border area. An Israeli army spokesperson stated that Hassan Al-Atrash, a Hamas commander, was killed in Rafah. Biden and Netanyahu discussed the 'phasing' of the continuation of the war in Gaza. The Wall Street Journal reported that Biden convinced Netanyahu to refrain from a 'preemptive attack' on Hezbollah. Hamas claimed that their communication with the group responsible for holding five Israeli hostages has been cut off. Israel stated that it has almost 'complete operational control' in northern Gaza.