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Cairo has denied Israeli media reports of a proposal to transfer Hamas weapons to Egyptian authorities, AlQahera News reported Tuesday night.
Israel’s Kan channel reported Tuesday that Egypt had proposed taking custody of Hamas weapons as a temporary “deposit” under a broader plan for Gaza’s future.
Kan’s report adds that the plan calls for a temporary technocratic government to run the strip for several years under Palestinian Authority supervision, while sidelining Hamas from power.
It added that the biggest obstacle to any political settlement or long-term ceasefire between Israel and Hamas remains the issue of Hamas’ weapons.
This raises questions about the future of those weapons after the war, as Hamas has so far publicly ruled out giving them up.
Egypt, in turn, denied claims of transferring Hamas weapons, just hours after Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty announced “significant progress” in Gaza ceasefire talks, saying “the ball is now in Israel’s court.”
The announcement followed a new proposal by mediators on prisoner exchanges and ending the Gaza war, which Hamas approved on Monday.
The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire, with half of the live Israeli hostages released in the first phase alongside several bodies, and the remaining half in a second phase, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.
It also permits humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip and the resumption of relief distribution via U.N. agencies and the Red Cross.
According to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, Abdelatty held “intensive phone calls on the latest developments in the Gaza ceasefire negotiations” with his counterparts, including Türkiye’s Hakan Fidan, the U.K.’s David Lammy, and Russia’s Sergey Lavrov.
The calls also involved the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, and Hussein al-Sheikh, Palestinian Authority deputy president.
According to the statement, the calls focused on regional developments, primarily the situation in Gaza, and Egypt’s intensive mediation efforts in coordination with Qatar and the United States to achieve a ceasefire, deliver humanitarian aid, and secure the release of hostages and prisoners.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said Tuesday that Israel’s policy “has not changed,” demanding the release of all 50 hostages under security cabinet guidelines.
The statement implicitly rejects the new proposal, even though it closely mirrors the earlier Wittkoff plan approved by Israel.
Netanyahu’s government has ruled out a role for the PA in post-war Gaza, a condition that risks leaving Israel alone to run the Strip and provide services to its roughly 2 million Palestinians.
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