Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal presented by mediators. The proposal calls for the release of 10 hostages in two phases and a 70-day ceasefire, a Palestinian group source said.
The outlines of the new potential deal emerged at a time when Israel has stepped up its military campaign in the Palestinian territories. Previous rounds of talks have failed, most notably after a two-month ceasefire collapsed in mid-March.
The Hamas source told AFP that “Hamas has accepted the new proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, which they received through mediators.”
He added that the proposal “provides for the release of 10 hostages in two stages in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire, and talks on a permanent ceasefire during this ceasefire, which will also have US guarantees.”
US President Donald Trump’s special envoy for the Middle East, Steve Witkoff, was also involved in the negotiations of the previous ceasefire agreement.
Another Palestinian source close to the talks told AFP that the new proposal calls for “a 70-day ceasefire, a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza and the release of some Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of 10 surviving Israeli hostages held by Hamas.”
He added that the mediators made the offer to Hamas “in the last few days.” The ceasefire talks have been brokered by the United States, Egypt and Qatar since the beginning.
The second source said that under the deal, “five surviving Israeli hostages will be released in the first week of the deal and another five at the end of the ceasefire.”
Earlier last week, Israel said it was withdrawing its top Gaza negotiators from the ongoing talks in Doha “for discussions,” although some lower-level members will remain in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Israel has recently intensified its attacks on Gaza, describing it as an “expansion of the war” against Hamas.
The last ceasefire between the two sides collapsed in March, largely due to disagreements over the next steps. Israel then resumed its military campaign in Gaza on March 18. Earlier, on March 2, Israel imposed a complete blockade on the flow of aid to Gaza, which it sees as a way to extract concessions from Hamas. Since then, UN agencies have warned that this has led to serious shortages of food, clean water, fuel and medicine.
Last week, Israel eased the blockade and aid trucks slowly began to enter Gaza. But humanitarian agencies are calling for more and faster aid deliveries.
The war began on October 7, 2023, after a Hamas cross-border attack. According to Israeli estimates, the attack killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages in Gaza. Israel then launched a military operation in Gaza by land and air. On the other hand, according to Gaza health authorities, about 54,000 Palestinians have been killed so far and the valley has been reduced to rubble. Aid agencies say there are widespread signs of severe malnutrition there.