Israel has put forward a cease-fire proposal that doesn’t include the withdrawal of its forces from Gaza, according to local media reports on Monday.
The Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) reported that the proposal involves a temporary cease-fire in exchange for the release of several Israeli captives held in Gaza.
The report also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Ronen Bar, the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency, to Cairo to negotiate the proposal with Egyptian officials.
According to Walla, an Israeli news site, Bar presented a cease-fire proposal to the Cabinet, which was initially brought forward by Hassan Mahmoud Rashad, the head of Egypt’s General Intelligence Service. The plan reportedly involves a brief cease-fire in exchange for the release of some Israeli captives held by Hamas.
So far, neither Egypt nor Hamas has commented on these reports. Mediation efforts led by the U.S., Egypt, and Qatar to broker a cease-fire and prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas have failed, largely due to Netanyahu’s refusal to stop the ongoing war.
Israel has been carrying out an intense military campaign in Gaza following a Hamas cross-border attack in October, despite a UN Security Council resolution calling for an immediate cease-fire.
Since the conflict began, over 42,600 people—mostly women and children—have been killed, and nearly 99,800 others injured, according to local health officials. The offensive has displaced nearly the entire population of Gaza, where a blockade has caused severe shortages of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its actions in Gaza.
