Israeli delegation will reportedly travel to Cairo next week to discuss new Egyptian hostage deal offer

Channel 12 reports that an Israeli delegation will travel to Cairo early next week after Egypt has put together a new hostage deal proposal.

The proposal envisions an initial temporary ceasefire of 45 to 60 days. The exact timeline still needs to be negotiated.

Like the previous offer that the Biden administration had been pushing since May, the latest Egyptian proposal envisions a staged hostage release.

The previous offer consisted of three 42-day phases, so the new proposal doesn’t appear to be markedly different.

There will be a gradual release of hostages in the first phase of the new proposal. However, a smaller number of hostages will be released than the 33 that the previous offer envisioned, Channel 12 says.

The first phase will also see the release of Palestinian security prisoners — but at a different rate than the one discussed by the parties during the previous proposal, Channel 12 says, without elaborating.

The new Egyptian offer also envisions the reopening of the Rafah Crossing during the first phase of the ceasefire, to be managed by the Palestinian Authority.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected PA involvement in the post-war management of Gaza, so it would appear unlikely that he would agree to this clause. His far-right coalition partners have advocated collapsing the PA entirely.

Arab governments have conditioned their support in Gaza’s reconstruction on Israel granting the PA a foothold in Gaza in order to unify the territory with the West Bank under a single governing entity and advance a two-state solution.

A senior Palestinian official tells Channel 12 suggests that this clause was included in the latest Egyptian proposal because Hamas has agreed to cede control over the Rafah Crossing — a major development, given that this means giving up on the economic benefits of controlling the gate. It would also complicate Hamas efforts to evacuate its fighters from Gaza.

Like the previous US-backed proposal, the first stage of the Egyptian offer would also include a major surge of humanitarian aid into Gaza, Channel 12 says.

What remains unclear — the network says — is what will happen to the Philadelphi and Netzarim corridors. Netanyahu torpedoed talks in early July by submitting new demands for Israel to maintain control over the two corridors during the first phase of the deal, Arab and Israeli mediators have told The Times of Israel.

The Philadelphi Corridor runs along the Egypt-Gaza border and served as a major weapons smuggling route for Hamas in the past. The Netzarim Corridor bisects the Gaza Strip and has reportedly been expanded to roughly 35 square kilometers by the IDF in recent months as it seeks to choke off Hamas control on both sides of the enclave.

Also unclear is how the Egyptian proposal will bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas regarding the conclusion of the first phase. Israel has refused to commit to a permanent ceasefire and wants to be able to maintain the ability to resume fighting after the first phase, while Hamas has refused to agree to proposals that don’t include a permanent end to the war.

The Egyptian proposal offers a new mechanism for addressing this dispute, Channel 12 says, without elaborating.

While many disputes will likely arise, the new Egyptian framework may explain comments from senior Israeli officials in recent days expressing new optimism regarding the chances for a deal, the network adds.