ISTANBUL

Egypt’s foreign minister said Sunday evening that his country is working on a new Gaza deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in exchange for the release of some Israeli hostages and the rapid entry of humanitarian aid into the besieged enclave.

“We’re working toward a durable solution and a permanent ceasefire,” Badr Abdelatty said in a televised interview with the local OnTV television.

He said the proposal is a joint effort by Egypt, Qatar and the US and represents “a first step” toward a sustainable ceasefire.

“What’s on the table now is a 60-day truce in exchange for the release of a number of Israeli hostages and the swift delivery of aid to Gaza, including medical supplies,” he added.

This move, the top diplomat said, “would create momentum to move toward a lasting ceasefire, eventually leading to the implementation of the Jan. 19 agreement.”

Abdelatty said the proposed agreement is “only a first step,” stressing the need for the deal to lead to a second phase involving a permanent cessation of hostilities.

“There is an American vision and understanding of the importance of including guarantees in any upcoming agreement to ensure the sustainability of a ceasefire,” he said.

“A resumption of (Israeli) aggression would pose a major threat to regional stability,” the foreign minister warned.

Egypt, Qatar and the US brokered on Jan. 19 a three-phased ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian group Hamas. The agreement was intended to ultimately bring an end to the Israeli genocidal war in Gaza.

The deal, however, collapsed after Israel resumed its attacks on the enclave on March 18.

Rejecting international calls for a ceasefire, the Israeli army has pursued a brutal offensive against Gaza since October 2023, killing 56,500 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.

Last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.