Egypt and Qatar are trying to bridge the positions of Israel and Hamas regarding the continuation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. A senior Egyptian official told the Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper that Egypt has submitted a proposal to extend the first phase of the ceasefire agreement for an additional two weeks. According to the proposal, during these two weeks, negotiations will take place regarding the start of the second phase of the ceasefire agreement, and Hamas will commit to transferring three live hostages and three bodies of hostages to Israel. The Egyptian official estimated that Hamas would agree to this proposal, and Egypt is pinning its hopes on the U.S. to exert pressure on Israel to accept it, as it is not interested in renewing hostilities. Related articles: Hamas will not respond to Israel’s ceasefire counter-proposal Senior Hamas official: We are ready to release Israeli hostages 'The only thing that can stop us is the release of our hostages!' Netanyahu: 'We are taking control of the Morag Corridor in Gaza' It was also reported that, according to Egypt's understanding, Israel has no intention to renew military operations in the Gaza Strip in the coming days. In recent talks between Israel and Egypt, Egypt demanded that the IDF fully withdraw from the Philadelphi route, and it was clarified that it would not provide additional guarantees regarding the Israeli demand that the border not be used for smuggling weapons. The newspaper reported, citing Egyptian sources, that a senior American official accused Egypt of partial responsibility for the war due to security failures at the border with the Gaza Strip, which allowed Hamas to strengthen militarily.
