Gaza Ceasefire Holds: Egypt Reports Sides Close to Deal

Hamas Agrees to Let PA Manage Rafah Crossing

The latest ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been holding, and Egyptian officials are reporting that the two sides have made great progress toward a final peace settlement, terming the talks “95 percent” there.

According to Egyptian media, the deal will expand the Gaza fishing zone, see Israel re-releasing the traded prisoners they have re-arrested during the current war, and opening border crossings with EU observers. The Gaza-Egypt crossing would be opened under Palestinian Authority control, which Hamas has publicly agreed to.

Israeli officials were pushing the PA control over the crossing as a way of giving Fatah more control over the strip, with an eye toward them retaking the strip from Hamas outright.

The only issue yet to be addressed is that Israel has refused to discuss the possibility of opening a Gaza seaport under UN control, nor reopening the Gaza international airport under UN auspices.

Author: Jason Ditz

Jason Ditz is Senior Editor for Antiwar.com. He has 20 years of experience in foreign policy research and his work has appeared in The American Conservative, Responsible Statecraft, Forbes, Toronto Star, Minneapolis Star-Tribune, Providence Journal, Washington Times, and the Detroit Free Press.