JERUSALEM: An Egyptian delegation met Israeli counterparts on Friday, looking for a way to restart talks to end the war in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages, an official briefed on the meetings said.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Israel had no new proposals to make, although it was willing to consider a limited truce in which 33 hostages would be released by the Islamist movement Hamas, instead of the 40 previously under discussion.
“There are no current hostage talks between Israel and Hamas, nor is there a new Israeli offer in that regard,” the official said. “What there is, is an attempt by Egypt to restart the talks with an Egyptian proposal that would entail the release of 33 hostages – women, elderly and infirm.” According to Israeli media reports, Israeli intelligence officials believe there are 33 female, elderly and sick hostages left alive in Gaza, out of a total of 133 still being held by Hamas and other Palestinian militant groups.
There was no decision on how long any truce would last but if such an exchange were agreed, the pause in fighting would be “definitely less than six weeks”, the official said.
The visit by the Egyptian delegation came a day after the US and 17 other countries appealed to Hamas to release all of its hostages as a pathway to end the crisis in Gaza.