New talks?

Egypt for two-day ceasefire in Gaza war

Egypt's President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has reportedly launched an initiative to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza war. His proposal envisages a two-day ceasefire during which four Israeli hostages would be exchanged for several Palestinian prisoners.

This was reported by the Egyptian state news website "Al-Ahram", among others. According to the report, al-Sisi said at a press conference in Cairo that the initiative was intended as a preliminary stage for a permanent ceasefire and also included the delivery of aid to the Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian initiative comes at a time when the next indirect negotiations on a ceasefire and an exchange of hostages and prisoners are due to take place in the Gulf emirate of Qatar. Egypt is one of the mediators in these talks alongside the USA and Qatar.

However, the negotiations have been at a standstill for months. Most recently, following the killing of Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar, there was increased hope that an agreement could possibly be reached.

There was no immediate reaction from Israel or Hamas to Egypt's proposal.