Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said he would make an official visit to Cairo. The reason for his visit is the new proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip. It was drawn up in Paris by the intelligence chiefs of Israel, the United States and Egypt, along with Qatar's prime minister, the Guardian reported.
The proposal includes a three-stage truce, during which the group would first release the remaining civilians among the hostages, then the soldiers, and finally return the bodies of the slain hostages.
The proposal appears to be the most serious peace initiative since the brief truce in late November.
Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is under pressure from the Biden administration to chart a path to an end to the war. But parties in the ruling coalition have said they will not approve a hostage release deal that leaves Hamas intact.
Israel's prime minister reiterated his pledge not to withdraw troops from Gaza until "total victory," a reminder of the huge divergence in the warring parties' public positions on what it would take to halt the fighting, even temporarily./BGNES
