Israel

Egypt Proposes Deal to Free Hostages, End Gaza War

DEC 25 2023·Updated DEC 26 2023

Story

Image credit: Alexi J. Rosenfeld / Stringer [via Getty Images]

The Facts

Israeli officials told local news outlets on Sunday that Egypt has proposed a three-stage deal between Hamas and Israel in a bid to reach a permanent ceasefire and eventually release all hostages.
The Times of Israel
As per Cairo's proposal, Hamas would release 40 Israelis in exchange for a 14-day truce in the Gaza Strip, while Tel Aviv would free 120 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
The Jerusalem Post
The second stage of the deal would see the start of Egypt-brokered talks to end intra-Palestinian division and create a technocratic government to run Gaza and the West Bank.
Yahoo! News
As per the reports, the third stage would include a comprehensive ceasefire, the return of the remaining Israeli hostages, and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
I24News
However, a delegation from the Hamas-allied Palestinian Islamic Jihad on Monday reportedly rejected Egypt's proposal to relinquish leadership in Gaza in return for an end to hostilities.
ThePrint
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, meanwhile, has stressed that the "only way" to free Israeli hostages and ensure Gaza will no longer be a threat is to continue to fight until Hamas has been completely destroyed.
I24News

Sources Split

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The Spin

Pro-establishment narrative

Though, of course, Israel has a right to dismantle Hamas' military capabilities, it must humanely wage this war. The number of civilians being killed will only galvanize Palestinians against peace and push them into the arms of Hamas. A more thorough and surgical campaign is now needed to eliminate Hamas' leadership in Gaza, as Israel is losing global support.

CNN

Pro-Israel narrative

Tel Aviv must push back against the international community's attempt to pressure the country into a ceasefire. Israel is a sovereign country and has the right to defend itself from terrorism and pursue its interests. Hamas' military capabilities must be eliminated so that the group can never launch a terrorist attack like Oct. 7 again.

The Jerusalem Post

Pro-Palestine narrative

Israel continues to demonstrate that its war isn't against Hamas but against the Palestinians as a whole. Nowhere in Gaza is safe, and Israel has effectively rendered the north of the strip unlivable. Though the US, Israel's biggest ally, wants to minimize the war's intensity, it must instead exert more pressure to end the war completely.

Middle East Eye