Cairo: Egypt has introduced a new ceasefire proposal to resume peace talks between Israel and Hamas. The proposal was presented in Cairo on March 24, 2025, as part of ongoing negotiations.
Under the plan, Hamas would release five living hostages, including an American-Israeli citizen. In exchange, Israel would allow more humanitarian aid into Gaza, agree to a weeks-long ceasefire, and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. A Hamas official confirmed that the group had “responded positively” but did not provide further details.
An Egyptian official revealed the proposal’s details, while a Hamas representative also commented, both speaking anonymously due to the sensitive nature of the discussions. The ceasefire talks follow the collapse of a previous agreement, which ended last week when Israel launched surprise airstrikes, killing hundreds of Palestinians.
Hamas had rejected an Israeli-backed plan to release more hostages before negotiating a long-term ceasefire. The militant group has maintained that it will only free the remaining 59 hostages—24 of whom are believed to be alive—if Israel agrees to withdraw, enforce a lasting ceasefire, and release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.
The conflict has severely impacted Gaza, with humanitarian conditions worsening as Israeli airstrikes continue. Hospitals remain overwhelmed with casualties. An American trauma surgeon, Feroze Sidhwa, working in Gaza with MedGlobal, reported that most patients injured in an Israeli attack on Nasser Hospital had already been wounded in previous airstrikes.
Many of them were in recovery when the surgical wards were hit again on Sunday. Sidhwa described the situation as dire, explaining that a man and a boy he had operated on days earlier died in the latest attack.
