EGYPT and Algeria have become the latest African nations to step into diplomatic efforts to halt the devastating Gaza conflict, as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi proposed a new two-day ceasefire plan during talks with Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Cairo on Sunday.
The Egyptian initiative, which would see four Israeli hostages exchanged for Palestinian prisoners, comes as CIA and Mossad intelligence chiefs met in Qatar to pursue parallel negotiation efforts. Sisi indicated that within 10 days of implementing the temporary ceasefire, talks should resume aimed at securing a permanent end to hostilities.
While Hamas sources told Reuters they would consider new proposals, they maintained any agreement must end the war and secure Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Israel has steadfastly insisted the conflict cannot conclude until Hamas is eliminated as both a military and governing force.
The diplomatic push comes amid mounting casualties, with Israeli strikes killing 45 Palestinians across Gaza on Sunday alone. In northern Gaza, where Israeli forces have returned to combat what they say is a regrouping Hamas presence, an airstrike on houses in Jabalia refugee camp killed 20 people. Another strike on a school sheltering displaced families in Gaza City’s Shati camp claimed nine lives, including three local journalists.
The United Nations has decried “unbearable” conditions in northern Gaza, with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressing shock at “harrowing levels of death, injury and destruction.” The UN accused Israeli authorities of impeding essential humanitarian aid delivery, while Israel denied blocking assistance and blamed Hamas for distribution problems.
The war, sparked by Hamas’s October 7 attack that killed 1,200 Israelis and took over 250 hostages, has now claimed nearly 43,000 Palestinian lives according to Gaza health officials. The U.S., Qatar and Egypt continue to spearhead negotiations for a truce spanning less than a month, hoping it could lead to a more permanent ceasefire.
[Story based entirely on Reuters reporting]