Hamas accepts proposed deal for ceasefire with Israel and hostage release, Egyptian source says
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval on Facebook. Hamas said other Palestinian factions also informed mediators of their approval.
There was no Israeli response to the Hamas proposal but an Israeli official confirmed it was received. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between the sides with US support.
Israel's plans to seize control of Gaza City in the heart of the Palestinian enclave have stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday held some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7 2023. Israeli officials believe 20 are alive.
Thousands of Palestinians fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive have left their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, under constant Israeli bombardment, for points to the west and south in the shattered territory.
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IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
Hamas accepts ceasefire proposal for Gaza as public pressure mounts on Netanyahu. What you need to know
Crowds wait outside Al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City. The hospital has become a focal point for families searching for loved ones as casualties mount in the latest strikes. Image: Saeed Jaras / Middle East Images / Middle East Images via AFP Hamas officials have announced their acceptance of a proposed ceasefire deal for Gaza. This is everything that we know about it. The proposed agreement involves a suspension of military operations for 60 days. During this period, half of the approximately 20 remaining living Israeli hostages would be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Egypt took a central role as a key mediator in this negotiation. This development comes after intense negotiations in Cairo involving Egyptian and Qatari officials. The acceptance by Hamas comes as pressure mounts on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faced the largest protests of the war on Sunday. More than 400,000 people gathered in Tel Aviv to demand a deal for hostage release. Protesters have also called for fresh demonstrations this Sunday. Netanyahu has criticised these large-scale street protests, claiming they "give comfort to Hamas's position in negotiations" and toughen their stance. He has further claimed that ending the war without defeating Hamas would lead to a recurrence of what he called "October 7 atrocities". Despite the proposed deal, Netanyahu has previously indicated that Israel is no longer interested in "part deals" and would only agree to end the war if Hamas releases all hostages at once, disarms, and allows for the demilitarisation of Gaza. In addition to protests, the Israeli Prime Minister has faced fierce criticism from domestic political figures and hostage families. The Hostages and Missing Families Forum lambasted Netanyahu, stating: "They have been languishing in Gaza for 22 months, on your watch". Yair Golan, leader of the Israeli opposition Democrats party, accused Netanyahu of strengthening Hamas and needing "an eternal war in order to cling to his seat and to escape a commission of inquiry" into the October 7 attack. It's also worth noting that the Israeli government is planning a large new military offensive to take control of Gaza City. This move could displace up to 1 million Palestinians. A statement from the Israeli prime minister's office outlined five "principles" for ending the war, which this takeover is presumably intended to support. This is what the takeover plan entails. The disarmament of Hamas The return of all hostages, both living and dead. The demilitarisation of the Gaza Strip. Israeli security control over the Gaza Strip. The establishment of an alternative civilian administration that is neither Hamas nor the Palestinian Authority. The human cost of the war in Gaza remains severe, with Gaza health officials reporting that the war's death toll has reached 62,000 people. Due to the blockade, Palestinians are also starving and not getting much-needed aid. IOL NEWS
eNCA
14 hours ago
- eNCA
Mediators await Israeli response to new truce offer
Mediators were awaiting an Israeli response Tuesday to a fresh Gaza ceasefire plan, a day after Hamas accepted the proposal and signalled its readiness for a new round of talks aimed at ending nearly two years of war. Mediator Qatar expressed guarded optimism for the new proposal, noting it was "almost identical" to an earlier version agreed to by Israel. The two foes have held on-and-off indirect negotiations throughout the war, resulting in two short truces and the releases of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, but they have ultimately failed to broker a lasting ceasefire. Qatar and Egypt, backed by the United States, have mediated the frequent rounds of shuttle diplomacy. Egypt said Monday that it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court". Qatari foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said on Tuesday that Hamas had given a "very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to". "We cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. But we do believe it is a positive point," he added. According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet Al-Qahera News, the latest deal proposes an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the freeing of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions allowing for the entry of aid. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to publicly comment on the plan, but said last week that his country would accept "an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war". Senior Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said on social media that his group had "opened the door wide to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the question remains whether Netanyahu will once again close it, as he has done in the past". Hamas's acceptance of the proposal comes as Netanyahu faces increasing pressure at home and abroad to end the war. AFP | GIL COHEN-MAGEN On Sunday, tens of thousands took to the streets in the Israeli city of Tel Aviv to call for the end of the war and a deal to free the remaining hostages still being held captive. Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas's October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. The new proposal also comes after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, fanning fears the new offensive will worsen the already catastrophic humanitarian crisis in the devastated territory. Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir -- who has staunchly opposed ending the war -- slammed the plan, warning of a "tragedy" if Netanyahu "gives in to Hamas". - 'Unbearable' - Gaza's civil defence agency reported that 31 people were killed Tuesday by Israeli strikes and fire across the territory. Agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP the situation was "very dangerous and unbearable" in the Zeitoun and Sabra neighbourhoods of Gaza City, where he said "artillery shelling continues intermittently". AFP | Eyad BABA The Israeli military declined to comment on specific troop movements, saying only that it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" and took "feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm". Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military. Sabra resident Hussein al-Dairi, 44, said "tanks are firing shells and mortars, and drones are firing bullets and missiles" in the neighbourhood. "We heard on the news that Hamas had agreed to a truce, but the occupation is escalating the war against us, the civilians," he added. Hamas's October 2023 attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. Israel's offensive has killed at least 62,064 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza which the United Nations considers reliable.
Daily Maverick
15 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Israel studying Hamas reply to Gaza ceasefire proposal
By Maayan Lubell and Nidal al-Mughrabi Efforts to pause the fighting gained new momentum over the past week after Israel announced plans for a new offensive to seize control of Gaza City, and Egypt and Qatar have been pushing to restart indirect talks between the sides on a U.S.-backed ceasefire plan. The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official. Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details, and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well. The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75% of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine. Qatar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Majed Al Ansari said the 60-day truce deal would include 'a pathway to a comprehensive agreement to end the war.' Israel had previously agreed to the outline, advanced by U.S. special Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but negotiations faltered over some of its details. The last round of talks ended in deadlock in late July. Israel's plans to seize control of Gaza City in the heart of the Palestinian enclave have since stirred alarm abroad and among the estimated one million people presently living there. On the ground, there were no signs of a ceasefire nearing as Israeli gunfire, tank shelling and airstrikes killed at least 20 Palestinians on Tuesday, according to Gaza health officials. Tanks completed taking control of the Zeitoun suburb, an eastern neighbourhood on Gaza City's outskirts, and continued to pound the nearby area of Sabra, killing two women and a man, medics said. Local health authorities said dozens of people had been trapped in their houses because of the shelling. The Israeli military said it was checking the report. ISRAELI PROTESTERS DEMAND DEAL On Friday, it said its forces were operating in nearby Zeitoun to locate weapons, tunnels and gunmen. 'It has been one of the worst nights in Sabra and Gaza City as the explosions are heard throughout the city,' said Nasra Ali, 54, a mother of five, who lives in Sabra. 'I was planning to leave my house when I heard there is a possible ceasefire. I might stay for a day or two, if nothing happens, then I will run away with my kids,' she told Reuters via a chat app. Thousands of people are estimated to have fled the area in the past few days. In Israel, the threatened offensive prompted tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday to hold some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining hostages held in Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was expected to convene discussions about the ceasefire proposal soon, the two Israeli officials said. A response was expected in the coming two days, a Palestinian source close to the talks said. Netanyahu faces domestic political pressure from his far-right government partners who object to a truce with Hamas. Ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir have demanded to keep the war going until Hamas' defeat, and annex Gaza. Hamas official Izzat El-Reshiq said that the truce proposal it has agreed to is an interim accord that would pave the way for negotiations on ending the war. A source close to the talks said that, unlike previous rounds, Hamas accepted the proposal with no further demands. But prospects for agreeing an end to the war appear remote, with gaps remaining on the terms. Israel is demanding the group lay down its arms and its leaders leave Gaza, conditions which Hamas has so far publicly rejected. The war began when Hamas-led fighters stormed into Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages. Israel's offensive has since killed more than 61,000 Palestinians, plunged Gaza into humanitarian crisis and displaced most its population.
