CAIRO — A new ceasefire proposal aimed at ending the war in Gaza has been submitted to Hamas by Qatari and Egyptian mediators, according to a senior Palestinian official involved in the negotiations. The proposal includes a long-term truce, the release of all hostages, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, the official told the BBC on Tuesday.
The latest diplomatic initiative envisions a ceasefire lasting between five and seven years, during which both sides would be expected to uphold peace terms. The proposed agreement calls for the release of all Israeli hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli custody. It also includes a formal declaration to end the war and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.
A high-ranking Hamas delegation, led by political chief Mohammed Darwish and senior negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, is expected to arrive in Cairo for critical talks with mediators in the coming days. These negotiations follow a failed attempt at brokering a truce last month, when Israel resumed its bombing campaign, and both parties accused the other of violating the ceasefire terms.
The Israeli government has yet to issue a formal response to the latest proposal. However, the talks come amid escalating violence across Gaza.
Since Monday evening, at least 22 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli airstrikes across multiple areas of the Gaza Strip, according to a health official from the Hamas-run health ministry. The strikes reportedly hit locations in Khan Younis, Jabalia, Beit Lahia, and Gaza City, injuring another 45 people.
Local witnesses described the airstrikes as “extremely intense,” with several neighborhoods heavily damaged. The attacks reportedly destroyed dozens of bulldozers and heavy equipment used by municipal crews to clear rubble, reopen blocked roads, and rescue people trapped under collapsed buildings.
In southern Gaza, tanks were seen maneuvering near Rafah, raising concerns about an expanded ground offensive in the densely populated area.
As talks resume, Hamas has reportedly expressed a willingness to relinquish administrative control over Gaza to a mutually agreed Palestinian body. According to the official familiar with the mediation efforts, the militant group is open to governance by the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority or another unified Palestinian body determined through national and regional consensus.
This stance represents a significant shift, as Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007. Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has publicly rejected any role for the Palestinian Authority in the future governance of Gaza, deepening the uncertainty around any potential postwar political arrangement.
Netanyahu reiterated on Saturday that he would not end the war until Hamas is dismantled and all Israeli hostages are returned. Hamas, on the other hand, insists that no hostages will be freed until Israel agrees to halt its military campaign.
The Palestinian source involved in the negotiations characterized the current mediation efforts as serious and noted that Hamas had demonstrated “unprecedented flexibility.” However, the outcome remains uncertain, and no timeline has been announced for a potential agreement.
Hamas initiated the current conflict with a surprise attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people—mostly civilians—and taking 251 hostages back into Gaza. In response, Israel launched a wide-scale military operation that has killed at least 51,240 Palestinians, the majority of them civilians, according to figures released Monday by Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Embassy in Cairo has ordered its staff and their families to relocate from the capital to the northern Egyptian city of Arish, near the Rafah border crossing. The embassy personnel had been coordinating medical evacuations from Gaza and facilitating the delivery of humanitarian aid. The relocation underscores growing concerns over security and logistical challenges in continuing relief operations as the conflict intensifies.
