A delegation of mid-level Israeli officials has traveled to Cairo in Egypt to evaluate Hamas’s latest ceasefire proposal, which Israel has deemed unacceptable in its current form, Reuters reports.
The latest Hamas proposal, based on an April 27 framework, includes a phased ceasefire and hostage release deal, with Hamas offering minor changes, such as not allowing Israel to veto the release of certain Palestinian prisoners and lifting restrictions on materials into Gaza, which Israel alleges could be repurposed for military use. However, Israel finds these terms unacceptable, particularly the release of only 18 hostages initially, with the remainder to be freed in subsequent phases. Israel expresses discontent over the revised terms regarding the hostage release and insists on a more immediate and comprehensive release of hostages.
This move comes in the wake of Israeli tanks assuming control of the Palestinian side of the Rafah border crossing and subsequent airstrikes targeting eastern Rafah, a city in southern Gaza where over a million displaced Palestinians have sought shelter during the ongoing conflict.
