Key mediator Egypt expresses skepticism about the Gaza cease-fire proposal as more details emerge

CAIRO (AP) — Key mediator Egypt expressed skepticism Wednesday about the proposal meant to bridge gaps in cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas as more details emerged a day before negotiations were expected to resume in Cairo.

The challenges around the so-called bridging proposal appeared to undermine the optimism for an imminent agreement that U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken carried into his latest Mideast visit this week.

Diplomatic efforts have redoubled as fears grow of a wider regional war after the recent targeted killings of leaders of the militant Hamas and Hezbollah groups, both blamed on Israel, and threats of retaliation.

President Joe Biden spoke with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday, and stressed the urgency of reaching a cease-fire and hostage release deal, the White House said.

Officials in Egypt, in its unique role as both a mediator and affected party since it borders Gaza, told The Associated Press that Hamas won't agree to the bridging proposal for a number of reasons — ones in addition to the long-held wariness over whether a deal would truly remove Israeli forces from Gaza and end the war.

One Egyptian official with direct knowledge of the negotiations said the bridging proposal requires the implementation of the deal’s first phase, which has Hamas releasing the most vulnerable civilian hostages captured in its Oct. 7 attack on Israel that sparked the war. Parties during the first phase would negotiate the second and third phases with no “guarantees” to Hamas from Israel or mediators.

“The Americans are offering promises, not guarantees,” the official said. “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.”

He also said the proposal doesn’t clearly say Israel will withdraw its forces from two strategic corridors in Gaza, the Philadelphi corridor alongside Gaza's border with Egypt and the Netzarim east-west corridor across the territory. Israel offers to downsize its forces in the Philadelphi corridor, with “promises” to withdraw from the area, he said.

“This is not acceptable for us and of course for Hamas,” the Egyptian official said.

A second Egyptian official, briefed on the latest developments in negotiations, said there were few chances for a breakthrough since Israel refuses to commit to a complete withdrawal from Gaza in the deal's second phase. The official said Israel also insists on keeping its forces in the Philadelphi corridor and having full control of the Netzarim corridor.

He also said Egypt told the United States and Israel that it won’t reopen the Rafah crossing into Gaza, a crucial entry point for humanitarian aid, without the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Palestinian side and from the Philadelphi corridor — where Israel wants to prevent Hamas from replenishing its arsenal through smuggling tunnels. Israel's defense minister says over 150 such tunnels have been destroyed.

Both Egyptian officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the negotiations. Mediators are scheduled to meet on Thursday and Friday in Cairo for more talks on the proposal before submitting it officially to Hamas.

Hamas political official Bassem Naim said Tuesday that the bridging proposal adopted several new demands from Netanyahu, including that Israeli forces remain in Rafah, Philadelphi and Netzarim and search displaced Palestinians returning to northern Gaza. Israel has said the searches are necessary to find militants.

Naim said the proposal also includes unspecified changes to the exchange of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel and doesn’t guarantee that a cease-fire would remain in place during negotiations on the transition from the deal’s first phase to the second.

In previous versions of the cease-fire plan, the second phase would entail a permanent cease-fire, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of remaining male hostages, both civilians and soldiers.

Blinken after his visit to Egypt and fellow mediator Qatar said the bridging proposal is “very clear on the schedule and the locations of (Israeli military) withdrawals from Gaza,” but no details on either have emerged.

Blinken added that because Israel accepted the proposal, the focus turns to doing everything possible to “get Hamas on board.” Egypt’s state-run Al-Ahram daily reported that Blinken received a “clear Egyptian demand for the U.S. to work towards a well-framed deal with clear deadlines and clear objectives to encourage Hamas to sign.”

But there is skepticism, along with fatigue, among many in Israel about Netanyahu's commitment to securing an agreement.

“As long as the entire group of professional negotiators believes that Netanyahu is scuttling a deal, there won’t be any confidence,” commentator Nadav Eyal wrote in daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth.

The war in Gaza, now in its 10th month, has caused widespread destruction and forced the vast majority of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents to flee their homes. Aid groups fear the outbreak of polio and other diseases.

The Oct. 7 attack by Hamas and other militants killed some 1,200 people in Israel, mostly civilians. Over 100 hostages were released during last year’s cease-fire. Hamas is still believed to be holding around 110 hostages. Israeli authorities estimate around a third are dead. Six bodies of hostages were recovered this week in Gaza.

“In what world do families have to beg and cry for the return of their family members alive and murdered?” Esther Buchshtab, the mother of one, 35-year-old Yagev Buchshtab, asked at his funeral Wednesday.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed over 40,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its count. On Wednesday, Israeli tank and drone strikes in Khan Younis and Deir al-Balah killed at least 17 people, according to hospital staff and AP journalists who counted the bodies.

Also on Wednesday, Netanyahu made his first visit to northern Israel since Israel's killing of a top Hezbollah commander last month in Beirut, as focus returns to the increasing crossfire along Israel's border with Lebanon.

“We are ready for every scenario, both defensive and offensive,” he said while meeting troops.

Associated Press writers Abby Sewell in Beirut and Aamer Madhani in Buellton, Calif., contributed to this report.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Keren Munder, the daughter of Avraham Munder, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip and recovered by the Israeli military in Gaza, stands next to his grave at Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Her brother, Roee Munder, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, was reburied at the Kibbutz. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Workers from "Hevra Kadisha" lower the coffin of Avraham Munder, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip and recovered by the Israeli military in Gaza, during his funeral at a cemetery of the Kibbutz Nir Oz southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said its forces recovered six bodies of hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7 in an overnight operation in southern Gaza. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli soldiers move on the top of a tank near the Israeli-Gaza border, as seen from southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Rimon Buchshtab mourns during the funeral of her husband Yagev Buchshtab at a cemetery of the Kibbutz Nirim, southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Buchshtab's body was one of six bodies of hostages, taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, recovered by Israel's military during an operation in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Rimon Buchshtab mourns during the funeral of her husband Yagev Buchshtab at a cemetery of the kibbutz Nirim, southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. Buchshtab's body was one the six bodies of hostages, taken in Hamas' Oct. 7 attack, recovered by Israel's military during an operation in the Gaza Strip. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)

Mourners wait for the funeral for slain hostage Avraham Munder, who was killed in Hamas captivity in the Gaza Strip, at Kibbutz Nir Oz, southern Israel, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. His son, Roee, who was killed on Oct. 7, 2023, was reburied at the Kibbutz. On Tuesday, the Israeli military said its forces recovered six bodies of hostages kidnapped on Oct. 7, 2023 in an overnight operation in southern Gaza.(AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Israeli police officers scuffle with ultra-Orthodox Jewish men during a protest against a potential new draft law which could end their exemptions from military service in Jerusalem, Wednesday, Aug. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg)

Displaced Palestinians sit next to their tent as they camp on the beach, west of Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

Tents are crammed together as displaced Palestinians camp on the beach, west of Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024. (AP Photo/Abdel Kareem Hana)

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — A tech billionaire performed the first private spacewalk hundreds of miles above Earth on Thursday, a high-risk endeavor reserved for professional astronauts — until now.

Tech entrepreneur Jared Isaacman teamed up with SpaceX to test the company’s brand new spacesuits on his chartered flight. The daring feat also saw SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis going out once Isaacman was safely back inside.

This spacewalk was simple and quick — less than two hours — compared with the drawn-out affairs conducted by NASA. Astronauts at the International Space Station often need to move across the sprawling complex for repairs, always traveling in pairs and lugging gear. Station spacewalks can last seven to eight hours.

Isaacman emerged first from the hatch, joining a small elite group of spacewalkers who until now had included only professional astronauts from a dozen countries.

“Back at home, we all have a lot of work to do. But from here, it sure looks like a perfect world," Isaacman said as the capsule soared above the South Pacific. Cameras on board caught his silhouette, waist high at the hatch, with the blue Earth beneath.

The commercial spacewalk was the main focus of the five-day flight financed by Isaacman and Elon Musk’s company, and the culmination of years of development geared toward settling Mars and other planets.

All four on board donned the new spacewalking suits to protect themselves from the harsh vacuum. They launched on Tuesday from Florida, rocketing farther from Earth than anyone since NASA’s moonwalkers. The orbit was reduced by half — to 460 miles (740 kilometers) — for the spacewalk.

This first spacewalking test involved more stretching than walking. Isaacman kept a hand or foot attached to it the whole time as he flexed his arms and legs to see how the spacesuit held up. The hatch sported a walker-like structure for extra support.

After roughly 10 minutes outside, Isaacman was replaced by SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis to go through the same motions. Gillis bobbed up and down in weightlessness, no higher than her knees out of the capsule, as she twisted her arms and sent reports back to Mission Control.

Each had 12-foot (3.6-meter) tethers but did not unfurl them or dangle at the end unlike what happens at the space station, where astronauts routinely float out at a much lower orbit.

More and more wealthy passengers are plunking down huge sums for rides aboard private rockets to experience a few minutes of weightlessness. Other have spent tens of millions to stay in space for days or even weeks. Space experts and risk analysts say it’s inevitable that some will seek the thrill of spacewalking, deemed one of the most dangerous parts of spaceflight after launch and reentry but also the most soul-stirring.

This operation was planned down to the minute with little room for error. Trying out new spacesuits from a spacecraft new to spacewalking added to the risk. So did the fact that the entire capsule was exposed to the vacuum of space.

There were a few glitches. Isaacman had to manually pull the hatch open instead of pushing a button on board. Before heading out, Gillis reported seeing bulges in the hatch seal.

Scott “Kidd” Poteet, a former Air Force Thunderbird pilot, and SpaceX engineer Anna Menon stayed strapped to their seats to monitor from inside. All four underwent intensive training before the trip.

It went by “in the blink of an eye,” said SpaceX commentator Kate Tice.

Congratulations streamed in after the spacewalk concluded at one hour and 46 minutes — or a full swing and then some around Earth.

“Today’s success represents a giant leap forward for the commercial space industry,” NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said via X.

Isaacman, 41, CEO and founder of the Shift4 credit card-processing company, has declined to disclose how much he invested in the flight. It was the first of three flights in a program he’s dubbed Polaris; this one was called Polaris Dawn. For SpaceX’s inaugural private flight in 2021, he took up contest winners and a cancer survivor.

Until Thursday, only 263 people had conducted a spacewalk, representing 12 countries. The Soviet Union’s Alexei Leonov kicked it off in 1965, followed a few months later by NASA’s Ed White.

The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.

This image made from a SpaceX video shows SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis emerging from the capsule, Thursday Sept. 12, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)

This image made from a SpaceX video shows SpaceX engineer Sarah Gillis on her way out of the capsule, Thursday Sept. 12, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)

This image made from a SpaceX video shows the start of the first private spacewalk led by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman Thursday Sept. 12, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)

This image made from a SpaceX video shows the crew of the first private spacewalk led by tech billionaire Jared Isaacman inside the capsule, Thursday Sept. 12, 2024. (SpaceX via AP)

This image provided by SpaceX on Tuesday, Sept. 10, 2024, shows a view of Earth and the Dragon capsule's Skywalker spacewalk platform shortly after the Polaris Dawn crew launched into an orbit. (SpaceX via AP)