Egypt proposes new ceasefire, breaking deadlock in Gaza

Egypt is said to have put forward a new proposal to restore the ceasefire in Gaza amid renewed violence in the region.

Egypt's plan calls for Hamas to release five Israeli hostages each week, while Israel will implement a second phase of the ceasefire after the first week, Reuters reported on March 24, citing sources familiar with the matter. Hamas is still holding 59 Israeli hostages, of whom 24 are believed to be alive.

The Egyptian proposal also includes a timeline - guaranteed by the US - for Israel to withdraw completely from the Gaza Strip in exchange for the release of the hostages, according to sources familiar with the matter. Security sources said both the US and Hamas agreed to the proposal, but Israel has not responded.

Israel's airstrikes have killed more than 50,000 people in Gaza

A Hamas official, although not confirming the information, told Reuters: "Several proposals are being discussed with mediators to narrow the gap and resume negotiations to reach a common voice to pave the way for the start of the second phase of the agreement."

Israel resumed its attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18, ending a two-month ceasefire. Gaza health officials said Israeli airstrikes and shelling had killed nearly 700 Palestinians, including at least 400 women and children.

Smoke rises after an Israeli shelling in the northern Gaza Strip on March 24, 2025.

Hamas confirmed that several of its senior members were among the dead. Hamas also accused Israel of violating the terms of the January ceasefire, saying it was ready to negotiate a new ceasefire and was studying proposals from US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.

Earlier, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 18 affirmed that the war would not end until Tel Aviv achieved all of its goals, which were "to free the hostages, eliminate Hamas and ensure that Gaza would no longer pose a threat to Israel."

The United Nations (UN) will scale back its operations in Gaza after five UNRWA staff were killed in fighting, but remains committed to providing aid to civilians in the strip, UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said on March 24.

At a press conference in the West Bank on the same day, High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Kaja Kallas condemned the attacks in the Gaza Strip and called on the parties to establish a new ceasefire.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/ai-cap-dua-ra-de-xuat-ngung-ban-moi-pha-vo-the-be-tac-tai-gaza-185250325095354382.htm