Egypt calls on Israel to accept Gaza ceasefire proposal
Egypt urged Israel to approve a Gaza ceasefire proposal that has already been accepted by Hamas, according to Middle East Monitor via Anadolu Agency on August 20th.
The call took place on August 20th, where Cairo stressed the “need for the Israeli side to accept the deal approved by Hamas based on the proposal of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff”, according to a statement issued by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
The deal, of which Hamas accepted, would secure the implementation of a 60-day truce during which roughly half of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages – 20 of whom are thought to be alive – would be returned in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
The ministry said that the ceasefire will “contribute to maintaining security and stability” in the Middle East and put a two-state solution back on the cards.
Citing anonymous Egyptian sources, the state-run Al-Qahera News Channel said that Israel has not yet formally responded to the proposal 48 hours after receiving it.
According to the sources, Egypt is engaged in “intensive contacts with concerned parties to urge Israel to deal positively with the mediators’ proposal for calm in Gaza.”
Qatar’s Foreign Ministry, who designed the ceasefire proposal alongside Egypt, stated that the deal is “almost identical” to the one tabled by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, according to Sky News on August 19th.
However, Israeli far-right government ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir are demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu rejects the ceasefire proposal and instead continues with the war.
Egypt has long been concerned over the potential implications of the continuing escalation in Gaza, which many feel may eventually lead to a direct military confrontation with Israel.
Cairo had deployed 40,000 troops to the Gaza border amid rising concerns that Israel will proceed with plans to ethnically cleanse Palestinians from the besieged territory into the Sinai Peninsula.
In an interview with CNN on August 18th, Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty firmly stated that such a move would cross a “red line” for Cairo.
He warned that “displacement is a one-way ticket.” He said: “I can assure you – those who will leave Gaza, they will never be allowed to go back to Gaza — and that [means] to have one objective, liquidation of the Palestinian cause.”
Middle East Monitor, Anadolu Agency, Maghrebi.org, Sky News, CNN
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