Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, two Iranian-backed terror groups in the Gaza Strip, have rejected an Egyptian proposal to end the ongoing war by giving up power over the territory, according to Reuters on Monday.
Reuters reported:
Hamas and the allied Islamic Jihad have rejected an Egyptian proposal that they relinquish power in the Gaza Strip in return for a permanent ceasefire, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters on Monday.
Both groups, which have been holding separate talks with Egyptian mediators in Cairo, rejected offering any concessions beyond the possible release of more hostages seized on Oct. 7 when militants broke into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people.
Egypt proposed a “vision”, also backed by Qatari mediators, that would involve a ceasefire in exchange for the release of more hostages, and lead to a broader agreement involving a permanent ceasefire along with an overhaul of leadership in Gaza, which is currently led by Hamas.
Separately, another Egyptian proposal was announced over the weekend that would involve the withdrawal of Israeli troops and the survival of Hamas — terms that would amount to a defeat for Israel in its war aims.
Last week, Hamas was reported to have cut off hostage negotiations, insisting that no talks would happen under fire, and that a hostage exchange would only occur in response to a permanent ceasefire ending the war and leaving Hamas in control.
Joel B. Pollak is Senior Editor-at-Large at Breitbart News and the host of Breitbart News Sunday on Sirius XM Patriot on Sunday evenings from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. ET (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. PT). He is the author of the new biography, Rhoda: ‘Comrade Kadalie, You Are Out of Order’. He is also the author of the recent e-book, Neither Free nor Fair: The 2020 U.S. Presidential Election. He is a winner of the 2018 Robert Novak Journalism Alumni Fellowship. Follow him on Twitter at @joelpollak.
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