Israel & Egypt present Hamas with new ceasefire proposal: IDF to stay in Gaza for 60 days before withdrawal

After months of deadlock, Israel and Egypt reportedly agreed on and presented a new proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal to Hamas leaders, who so far haven’t responded or signaled a new willingness to agree to such a deal.

Israeli officials told the Axios news outlet that the new outline was approved on Sunday during a meeting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called with senior ministers and security chiefs.

The new proposal is largely similar to previous offers but includes a new approach that would see the ceasefire begin with a 60-day trial period, during which Israeli troops would remain in the Gaza Strip while the exchange of hostages for Palestinian terrorists would begin.

The outline also calls for the release of all surviving female Israeli hostages, the living men over the age of 50, and any hostages who are in serious medical condition.

After the 60-day period, the incoming Trump administration is expected to work toward finalizing the deal and implement a permanent armistice agreement.

The Israeli officials said the Hamas terror group had signaled some flexibility to begin implementing even a partial deal, but had so far not officially endorsed the new outline or moved away from its longstanding conditions, including an end to the war.

According to Ynet News, an Israeli official indicated that Israel could potentially agree to end the war if Hamas agrees to exile its leadership, which would symbolize the end of Hamas’ rule in Gaza and, in turn, allow the Israeli government to claim its victory.

The mediation efforts are currently being led by Egypt after Qatar announced it would stop mediating between Israel and Hamas last month. An Egyptian official involved in the talks revealed additional details about the new proposal while speaking to Ynet News.

He said the Israeli military would withdraw from the Rafah border crossing – but not the whole Philadelphi Corridor – and transfer control to representatives of the Palestinian Authority.

An Israeli demand to retain surveillance on the crossing through cameras reportedly remains on the table as well.

Over the 60-day period, the IDF would withdraw from the rest of the Gaza Strip in stages, while the process of freeing Israeli hostages would start after the first week of the ceasefire, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian terrorists.

The new proposal also includes the possibility of Palestinian refugees returning to the northern part of the Gaza Strip, a demand that Hamas has long insisted upon.

Egypt recently mediated an agreement between Fatah, the main party leading the Palestinian Authority (PA), and Hamas, to form a joint committee to oversee the post-war Gaza Strip.

The Egyptian official told Ynet that the committee would include 10 to 15 “independent Palestinian political technocrats” and be supervised by American representatives.

The official noted that “Hamas is demonstrating a positive attitude” toward the new outline, and emphasized that the terror group would agree to the establishment of a committee that would reactivate and take over the border crossings, allowing for more humanitarian aid to reach civilians.

Despite the optimism, Hamas so far hasn’t publicly indicated any change in its long-held positions and continues to insist on an end to the war and a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

“We are waiting to understand from the Egyptians what Hamas' response is. In a few days, we will understand whether Hamas is willing to negotiate within the framework we presented or not,” an Israeli official told Axios.

If Hamas responds positively, an Israeli delegation is expected to travel to Cairo to finalize outstanding details, including the exact number of days of the trial period, and the number of hostages and prisoners to be exchanged.