Egypt Presents Long-Term Ceasefire Plan to Israelis and Palestinians
Published at
David Silverman/Getty Images(CAIRO) — With the 72-hour ceasefire in Gaza set to end at midnight Wednesday, Israeli and Palestinian delegations in Cairo were presented with a plan by Egypt that would bring a long-term ceasefire between Israel and the militant group Hamas.
The Jerusalem Post said that news of the proposal revealed by Palestinian sources would bring an immediate end to Israeli air strikes against Hamas targets in Gaza and shrink the buffer zone along the Israeli border.
However, the ultimate goals of the Israelis and Hamas, which include the demilitarization of Gaza and the lifting of a seven-year-long blockade, respectively, won’t be addressed until later.
Neither the Israeli nor the Palestinian delegation offered a reaction to the Egyptian plan.
So far, there have been no reports of significant progress made between the two sides in Cairo as the clock counts down to the end of the three-day temporary truce.
Israel has expressed a willingness to extend the ceasefire in an effort to keep negotiations going but indicated that it will be up to Hamas on whether to continue the suspension of hostilities.
The armed conflict involving Hamas rocket attacks on Israel and the Israeli military’s invasion of Gaza has left more than 1,900 Palestinians dead while 67 Israelis, mostly soldiers, have also been killed.
Follow @ABCNewsRadio
Copyright 2014 ABC News Radio