Egypt, a key mediator in the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian war, has expressed concern over a recent Gaza ceasefire deal.

On Wednesday, the Associated Press (AP) reported that Egyptian officials do not believe that Hamas militants will accept the ceasefire deal recently agreed upon by Israel. The officials said that Hamas has expressed concerns over if the ceasefire will actually result in Israel removing their troops from Gaza.

An Egyptian official involved in the talks told the AP that the bridging proposal requires the first phase of the deal to be implemented, with Hamas releasing the most vulnerable civilian hostages taken during its October 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Negotiations for the second and third phases would follow without any "guarantees" to Hamas from Israel or the mediators during the process.

"The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees...Hamas won't accept this, because it virtually means Hamas will release the civilian hostages in return for a six-week pause of fighting with no guarantees for a negotiated permanent cease-fire," the Egyptian official, told the AP, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Palestinians watch as smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli strike after a warning from the army to its occupants to evacuate the premises, in the Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City on... Palestinians watch as smoke rises from a building hit by an Israeli strike after a warning from the army to its occupants to evacuate the premises, in the Rimal neighbourhood of central Gaza City on August 21, 2024, amid the ongoing conflict between Israel and the militant Hamas movement. On August 21, 2024, the Associated Press reported that Egypt expressed skepticism over a ceasefire deal in Gaza. OMAR AL-QATTAA/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images

Earlier this week, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that Israel had accepted a U.S.-backed proposal for a ceasefire and hostage release in Gaza.

"In a very constructive meeting with Prime Minister Netanyahu today, he confirmed to me that Israel supports the bridging proposal," Blinken said to the press, according to the AP. "The next important step is for Hamas to say 'yes.'"

Blinken noted negotiators will work to find "clear understandings on implementing the agreement," if the ceasefire deal is agreed upon by Hamas militants. However, according to Blinken, there are still "complex issues" that require "hard decisions by the leaders" in regard to the ceasefire deal.

However, the Egyptian official told the AP that the ceasefire proposal does not explicitly state that Israel will remove their military assets from Gaza and instead, Israel says they will decrease its forces in the Philadelphi corridor.

"This is not acceptable for us and of course for Hamas," the official told the AP.

The war in Gaza began after Hamas launched the attack against Israel last October, killing 1,250 people. Last week, the Gaza Health Ministry announced that the Palestinian death toll had surpassed 40,000 since the start of the war.

The Palestinians aim to establish the West Bank—territory seized by Israel during the 1967 Mideast war—as the core of a future state, a goal supported by many in the international community.

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