Egypt presents a plan to end the war between Israel and Hamas and create a transitional government

Egypt has made an ambitious initial proposal to end the war between Israel and Hamas with a ceasefire, a phased release of hostages and the establishment of a Palestinian government of experts that would govern the Gaza Strip and the occupied West Bank. said a senior Egyptian official. and a European diplomat said this on Monday.

The proposal, worked out with the Gulf state of Qatar, has been presented to Israel, Hamas, the United States and European governments, but appeared preliminary.

It falls short of Israel's goal of crushing Hamas outright and does not appear to address Israel's insistence on maintaining military control of Gaza for an extended period after the war.

Israel's war cabinet, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, will meet later Monday to discuss the hostage situation, among other things, an Israeli official said, but declined to say whether they would discuss the Egyptian proposal.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

The proposal comes after three bloody days in Gaza before Christmas Day, with Israeli airstrikes killing dozens of Palestinians simultaneously and 17 troops killed in ground fighting in the north, center and south of the territory.

The war has devastated large parts of Gaza, killing more than 20,400 Palestinians and displacing almost all of the territory's 2.3 million people.

The rising death toll among Israeli forces since the ground offensive began could erode public support for the war, which sparked when Hamas-led militants stormed communities in southern Israel on October 7, killing 1,200 people and killing 240 others were taken hostage.

Israelis still largely support the country's goals of destroying Hamas's government and military capabilities and releasing the remaining 129 prisoners. This is despite increasing international pressure against the Israeli offensive, the rising death toll and unprecedented suffering among the Palestinians.

It calls for an initial ceasefire of up to two weeks, during which Palestinian militants would free 40 to 50 hostages, including women, the sick and the elderly, in exchange for the release of 120 to 150 Palestinians from Israeli prisons. official said. He spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing talks.

At the same time, negotiations would continue on the extension of the ceasefire and the release of more hostages and bodies held by Palestinian militants, he said.

Egypt and Qatar would also work with all Palestinian factions, including Hamas, to reach an agreement on the establishment of a government of experts, he said. The government would rule Gaza and the West Bank for a transitional period while Palestinian factions settle their differences and agree on a roadmap for holding presidential and parliamentary elections, he added.

In the meantime, Israel and Hamas would continue to negotiate a comprehensive agreement, he said. This would include the release of all remaining hostages in exchange for all Palestinian prisoners in Israel, as well as the withdrawal of the Israeli army from Gaza and a cessation of rocket attacks on Israel by Palestinian militants. According to Palestinian figures, nearly 8,000 Palestinians are being held by Israel on security-related charges or convictions.

Egyptian officials discussed the broad outlines of the proposal with Ismail Haniyeh, the Qatar-based political leader of Hamas, who visited Cairo last week. They plan to discuss it with Islamic Jihad group leader Ziyad al-Nakhalah, who arrived in Cairo on Sunday, the official said. The militant group, which also took part in the Oct. 7 attack, said it was prepared to consider releasing hostages only after the fighting ends.

A Western diplomat said he was aware of the Egyptian proposal. But the diplomat, who demanded anonymity to discuss the matter, doubted Netanyahu and his hawkish government would accept the entire proposal. The diplomat gave no further details.

Seventeen Israeli soldiers have been killed in fighting since Friday, most of them in southern and central Gaza, an indication of the heavy fighting in and around the southern city of Khan Younis.

The war is exacting a very high price from us, but we have no choice but to continue fighting, Netanyahu said on Sunday.

There is widespread anger against his government, which is criticized by many for failing on October 7 to protect civilians and promote policies that have allowed Hamas to gain strength over the years. Netanyahu has avoided accepting responsibility for the military's and policy's failures.

Over time, the public will find it difficult to ignore the high price paid, as well as the suspicion that the goals loudly announced are far from being achieved, and that Hamas shows no signs of capitulating in the near future, wrote Amos Harel, military affairs commentator for the Haaretz newspaper.

Israeli attacks continued to take a heavy toll. At a hospital in the central city of Deir al-Balah, frenzied Palestinians carried the dead, including a baby, and wounded from an attack Sunday on the Maghazi refugee camp east of Deir al-Balah. A bloodied young girl looked stunned as her body was checked for broken bones.

According to hospital data, the strike killed 70 people, including women and children.

We were all targeted, said Ahmad Turkomani, who lost several family members, including his daughter and grandson. There is no safe place in Gaza anyway.

Hospital records show that the bodies of another 80 people killed in strikes in central Gaza were also received at the hospital from Sunday to Monday.

In northern Gaza, Palestinians reported heavy Israeli bombing and gunfire in the Jabaliya urban refugee camp, an area Israel claimed to control. The Israeli army said it had completed the dismantling of Hamas's underground headquarters in northern Gaza.

Israel has faced international criticism for civilian casualties but has blamed Hamas, citing the militants' use of crowded residential areas and tunnels. Israel says it has killed thousands of Hamas militants, without providing evidence.

Israel also faces allegations of abuse against Palestinian men and teenage boys held in homes, shelters, hospitals and elsewhere during the offensive. The army says it has detained hundreds of Palestinians, including more than 700 taken to Israel for further questioning over suspected links to militants. The country has denied allegations of abuse and said those not linked to militants would be quickly released.

Khamis al-Burdainy of Gaza City said from a hospital bed in Rafah after his release that Israeli forces detained him after tanks and bulldozers partially destroyed his house. He said the men were handcuffed and blindfolded.

We didn't sleep. We were not given food and water, he said, crying and covering his face.