Israeli and foreign media reported that Egypt proposed a new framework for a hostage release deal today, Sunday, involving Hamas releasing 40 Israelis held in the Gaza Strip in exchange for a 14-day truce.

According to Cairo's proposal, the Israeli army would stop all military and intelligence operations in the sector for two weeks in exchange for the release of 40 hostages.

The Egyptian agreement, reported by foreign media quoting Palestinian officials, includes a "three-stage" plan to end the fighting in Gaza, releasing 120 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails.

An Egyptian three-stage plan to end the war in Gaza

According to The Jerusalem Post, the second stage of the Egyptian proposal includes negotiations with the Palestinian Authority in the hope of forming an emergency security government in Gaza including various Palestinian factions.

As for the third stage, according to reports, it includes a long period of ceasefire, the return of more hostages from Gaza, and the final withdrawal of Israeli forces from the coastal sector.

After the Egyptian proposal was published, an Israeli source told Maariv newspaper that some elements of the proposal are unacceptable. But they added that "the Egyptian initiative may lead to negotiations."

Leaders of Islamic Jihad in Cairo for talks on ceasefire

A delegation from the Palestinian Islamic Jihad movement, an armed group allied with Hamas and known to be holding some Israeli captives in Gaza, has arrived in Cairo for talks with Egyptian security officials, according to a member of the group familiar with the talks who spoke to Reuters today, Sunday.

The official from the Iran-backed movement, which so far rejects any new prisoner exchange deals with Israel before the latter ends its military attack in Gaza, said the talks would focus on "ways to end the Israeli aggression against our people."