Egypt Pushes for Permanent Ceasefire in Gaza Amid Complex Negotiations

A report by Yazbek Wehbeh, English adaptation by Nadine Sassine

Egypt is fully aware of the complexities surrounding the Gaza negotiations and recognizes that Benjamin Netanyahu's conditions are nearly impossible to implement when compared to Hamas' demands. 

However, along with its partners, the United States and Qatar, Egypt has not given up hope.

From Egypt's perspective, as discussed in the technical negotiations, it officially rejects the presence of the Israeli army along the Philadelphi Route—the 14-kilometer border strip between Gaza and Egypt—due to its violation of the agreements attached to the Camp David Accords.

However, some reports have indicated that Egypt might partially turn a blind eye to this issue, as long as it is not formalized in written documents, if it facilitates reaching a solution.

Egyptian sources confirmed that Cairo is also keen on preventing Tel Aviv from imposing conditions on the number of Palestinian prisoners to be released or exiling some of them from Palestine, especially since this is a point of contention among the Palestinian public.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken brought additional details to Cairo on Tuesday regarding the American vision for the Philadelphi Route in the coming period, the situation around Netzarim, and the process of returning residents to northern Gaza.
These issues were discussed during his meeting with President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, where they also addressed proposals to prevent a renewal of hostilities. 

Egypt is particularly eager to obtain American guarantees for a permanent end to the war, rather than the six-week ceasefire proposed by Netanyahu, who is set to send a high-level delegation to Cairo on Wednesday to discuss further details.

President el-Sisi stated that the time has come to end the ongoing war in Gaza and turn to reason, emphasizing in a statement the dangers of expanding the conflict regionally in ways that could have unimaginable consequences. He insisted that a ceasefire in Gaza should be the beginning of broader international recognition of the Palestinian state and the implementation of the two-state solution.

The US Secretary of State is determined to achieve a clear breakthrough in the negotiations by the end of the week, or at least to ensure they are moving forward with some progress to buy more time. Failure to do so could lead to dramatic developments that might trigger a regional war, something Washington is eager to avoid.