CAIRO/GAZA, April 14 – Egypt has presented a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza to Hamas, state-affiliated Al Qahera News TV reported on Monday, but a senior Hamas official indicated the group was unlikely to accept the terms, citing two non-negotiable issues.
According to Al Qahera, mediators are awaiting Hamas’ formal response. However, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters the latest proposal falls short of the group’s core demands, particularly a firm commitment by Israel to a complete end to hostilities.
“The proposal does not meet our central demand for a total cessation of aggression,” Abu Zuhri said. He added that the Israeli proposal includes, for the first time, a call for the disarmament of Hamas in a future phase of negotiations — a condition the group has flatly rejected.
“Handing over the resistance’s weapons is a million red lines and is not subject to consideration, let alone discussion,” Abu Zuhri said. The latest round of Cairo-hosted talks on Monday aimed at reviving the ceasefire and securing the release of Israeli hostages ended without progress, according to Palestinian and Egyptian sources.
Hamas has maintained that any agreement must include an Israeli commitment to end the war and withdraw its forces from Gaza, as laid out in the three-phase ceasefire accord previously reached in January. That ceasefire collapsed in March when Israel resumed military operations in the territory.
Israel, meanwhile, has insisted it will not halt the war until Hamas is dismantled and all hostages are returned. Of the 59 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, Israeli authorities believe 24 remain alive.
“Hamas is ready to hand over the hostages in one batch in exchange for the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli military,” Abu Zuhri said. The Israeli military campaign, relaunched in March, has killed more than 1,500 Palestinians and displaced hundreds of thousands, according to Gaza health authorities. Israel has also tightened its blockade, halting the entry of nearly all supplies into the enclave. The impasse threatens to prolong the devastating conflict, which has already left vast parts of Gaza in ruins and triggered a humanitarian catastrophe.
