U.S., Egypt and Qatar propose new peace plan for Middle East
U.S., Egypt and Qatar propose new peace plan for Middle East (photo: Getty Images)
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have proposed a new peace plan for the Middle East that would begin with the release of hostages and eventually lead to the withdrawal of Israeli troops and an end to the war in the Gaza Strip, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Neither side of the conflict has agreed to the terms of the new proposal, which contains steps that contradict the stated positions of Israel and Hamas.
People with knowledge of the talks said that Israel and Hamas are at least ready to discuss again after several weeks of stagnation following the end of the last ceasefire on November 30. According to the sources, the talks will continue in Cairo in the coming days.
"The parties' willingness to discuss the framework program was a positive step. The mediators are now working to bridge the gap," said one of the sources briefed on the talks.
The new proposal, backed by Washington, Cairo, and Doha, represents a new approach to defusing the conflict - the goal is to make the release of Israeli hostages kidnapped by Hamas part of a comprehensive agreement that could lead to an end to hostilities.
Israel's war with the Palestinian group Hamas
During the attack on Israel on October 7, Hamas militants killed 1,200 civilians and soldiers and kidnapped about 250 people. Subsequently, through a hostage exchange, the terrorists released about 120 hostages, and Israel released a group of Palestinian prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu named three conditions for ending the war against Palestinian militants Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
On January 13, Tel Aviv informed Cairo that it plans to launch a military operation to establish control over the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. At the same time, Egypt rejected Israel's proposal to jointly patrol the Egyptian side of the border with Israeli troops.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Israel to stop causing additional harm to civilians in the Gaza Strip.
