Egypt – Cairo’s latest initiative of a proposed a new ceasefire, Palestinians officials said, called for an indefinite halt to hostilities, the immediate opening of Gaza’s blockaded crossings with Israel and Egypt and a widening of the enclave’s fishing zone in the Mediterranean.
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Under a second stage that would begin a month later, Israel and the Palestinians would discuss the construction of a Gaza sea port and an Israeli release of Hamas prisoners in the occupied West Bank, the officials said.
Both Israel and Egypt view Hamas as a security threat and are demanding guarantees that weapons will not enter the economically crippled territory.
An Israeli official speaking on condition of anonymity said Israel would consider an Egyptian proposal once assured that Hamas was ready to accept it.
A Hamas official, Osama Hamdan, said Egypt had proposed a new ceasefire and was waiting for Israel to respond, after a five-day truce and indirect Israeli-Palestinian talks in Cairo on a durable Gaza agreement collapsed a week ago.
Speaking on Al-Arabiya television, Hamdan said: “Returning to negotiations must be linked to a position that includes guarantees and clear Israeli concessions.”
Separately, the United States has begun preparing its own draft outline for a proposed United Nations resolution to demand a ceasefire, working alongside European powers and Jordan on a final draft, diplomats said.
The un, us, and europe are working on a draft isil and syria / hezbollah peace deal after over 200k killed and many more displaced. isil will be given more freedoms in exchange for peace.
Hamas demand and expects nothing less than, “guarantees and clear Israeli concessions”. In the rules of engagement and conflict, since day immemorial, when does the loser get to be in a position of demanding anything from the victor?