Against the background of the contacts for the deal: Egypt's unusual step

Yesterday, Egypt presented to the Israeli delegation in Cairo a demand for a complete freeze of the operation in Rafah in exchange for a restart of the negotiations for the hostage deal – this was reported today (Thursday) in "Al Hadat". Also, an Egyptian delegation arrived in Israel to discuss the issue of the abductees deal.

Hamas's last chance: if there is no deal – the operation in Rafah will be brutal

Also according to the report, Egypt forwarded to the Israeli delegation the proposal of Hamas for a complete cease-fire to be extended for one year in exchange for the cessation of attacks against Israel. At the same time, it was reported in "El Arabiya" that the formula of the ceasefire agreement includes three exchange phases, each lasting six weeks.

In the meantime, Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi met today in an unusual way with some of the families of the abductees. The mother of an abductee who was present at the meeting told Network B: "He met with us especially before the cabinet meeting. We understood that these are critical days for negotiations."

As you may recall, in the satellite images published this morning by "Reuters" and "Sky News Arabia", you can see the tent city that was established in Khan Yunis, and is intended to receive the Gazans from Rafah.

The White House issued an unusual announcement calling on Hamas to immediately release the abductees, the statement was signed by President Biden and 17 other leaders from various countries, including Britain. The text of the statement: "We call for the immediate release of all the hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for over 200 days. They include our citizens. The fate of the hostages and the civilian population in Gaza, who are protected under international law, is of international concern.

"We would like to emphasize that the pending deal for the release of the abductees will lead to an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which will facilitate a wave of additional necessary humanitarian aid that will be provided throughout Gaza and lead to a reliable end to the hostilities. The residents of Gaza will be able to return to their homes and lands with preparations in advance to guarantee shelter and humanitarian equipment, we strongly support In the ongoing mediation efforts to bring our people home. We reiterate our call to Hamas to release the hostages, and bring an end to this crisis so that we can focus our efforts on bringing peace and stability to the region."

An American senior official stated that: "The proposed agreement for the release of the abductees will lead to an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza. The fate of hostages and civilians in Gaza who are protected under international law is a source of concern. The proposed agreement for the release of the abductees will facilitate the flow of aid throughout Gaza."

At the same time, the US State Department announced that President Biden appointed Lise Grande as a new special envoy for humanitarian affairs in the Middle East.