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Gaza ceasefire mediators eye imminent 'positive announcement', senior official says
A 'positive announcement' regarding a Gaza ceasefire could come later in the day, a senior regional official involved in the negotiations told The National on Monday.
'There might be a positive announcement later, but we're still working on it,' the official said, though the details were not specified.
'Later today, the Qatari PM [Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman] is heading to Egypt to push the talks forward," added the official.
A Hamas delegation has been in Cairo since last week for discussions.
On Sunday, sources told The National that Egyptian and Qatari mediators had revived a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 hostages, in a last-minute bid to avert an Israeli ground assault on Gaza city.
The plan includes a written US guarantee that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on troop withdrawal from Gaza and a long-term truce would begin during the pause and continue until an agreement is reached.
'The Qataris and Egyptians have presented Israel and the United States with the plan and are now waiting for their response,' one source said. 'Falling back on the old plan for a partial, rather than a comprehensive, deal is designed to head off Israel's assault on Gaza.'
The sources said the plan provided for the release of 10 hostages, as well as the remains of at least 15 who died in captivity, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails being freed. An estimated 50 hostages are still held by Hamas, with 20 believed to be alive.
The latest proposal includes the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where dozens have died of starvation or hunger-related diseases. The plan also involves Israeli troops moving away from populated areas.
The sources would not speculate on how Israel may respond to the latest proposal, which is largely based on a plan floated earlier this year by US President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
News of the proposal broke as Israel prepared to send troops into Gaza city, where about one million people have sought shelter from the war.
The preparations for the offensive have been made as Israel says its war on Gaza will continue until Hamas is defeated and the group surrenders its weapons. Israel also wants a civilian administration to be put in place in the enclave, without the involvement of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Israel has also insisted on retaining an overall security role in Gaza.
