Hamas submits ‘positive response' to ceasefire proposal in major step toward a deal
Hamas has 'submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework,' the group said in a statement.
Israel had previously accepted the US-sponsored framework, which means the two sides are now expected to enter final, detailed negotiations before a ceasefire agreement is officially reached.
Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American interlocutor who has been in direct discussions with Hamas, praised the group's response on Facebook, saying, 'We are now much closer to ending this cursed war.'
He said Hamas had introduced 'amendments it deemed necessary.'
'In my view, these amendments will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement within the coming week, God willing,' he said.
An Israeli source familiar with the matter said earlier Friday that Israel had expected a positive response from Hamas, with the rewording of a few points in the proposal language. The source said these changes were not expected to derail the ceasefire efforts.
Of the 50 Israeli hostages remaining in Gaza, the proposal calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 deceased during the ceasefire. On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas would release eight living hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. Following the release, Israel would withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, and the two sides would begin negotiations toward a permanent ceasefire.
The release of the hostages is to take place without any Hamas ceremonies or fanfare. The remaining hostages would be released on four more dates specified in the proposal.
Efforts to secure a ceasefire intensified following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month. Qatar, a key negotiator, immediately launched a new round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to find a 'middle ground' based on previous proposals.
The new proposal includes stronger assurances about the US's commitment to keeping Israel at the negotiating table to reach a permanent ceasefire deal, during or potentially after the 60-day truce, according to an Israeli official and source familiar with the negotiations.
It also commits Israel to allowing a surge of aid into Gaza through traditional humanitarian channels, rather than through the controversial Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.
US President Donald Trump has pushed hard for a ceasefire, saying on Tuesday that Israel had 'agreed to the necessary conditions' to finalize a deal for a 60-day cessation of hostilities. In a post on Truth Social, Trump warned Hamas to accept the proposal as well.
'I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,' he said, thanking Qatar and Egypt for their role in advancing the proposal.
Israel accepted the new proposal on Tuesday while Ron Dermer, a confidant of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was in Washington, DC, meeting with top Trump administration officials, including US special envoy Steve Witkoff. The next day, Hamas said it was discussing the proposal as part of 'national consultations' and that it aimed to reach an agreement that would guarantee 'an end to the aggression, the withdrawal (of Israeli forces), and urgent relief for our people in the Gaza Strip.'
According to a source familiar with the negotiations, Israel and Hamas are now expected to enter quickly into proximity talks, during which officials from both sides are in the same building, with negotiators passing messages between them expeditiously to reach a deal. Such talks can take days, or they can be concluded faster. One of the key issues to resolve will be the timeline for the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza during the ceasefire, the source said.
Qatar submitted the new proposal for a 60-day ceasefire, backed by the Trump administration, to both Hamas and Israel this week, following months of behind-the-scenes efforts led by Witkoff.
After a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March – and Israel renewed its bombardment of Gaza – the Trump administration put forward a ceasefire proposal that was rejected by Hamas because it failed to include guarantees about a permanent end to the war. The new version attempted to account for that key Hamas demand, offering stronger US assurances that the ceasefire would continue beyond 60 days even if a comprehensive agreement had not yet been reached.
Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the war began, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. As negotiators worked to advance the latest ceasefire proposal, Israel intensified its bombardment of Gaza, killing scores across the besieged enclave.
Until now, Israel has refused to agree to a ceasefire deal that includes a comprehensive end to the war, as Netanyahu said the country's goals included destroying Hamas' military capability and ability to govern. But after the conflict with Iran, he has signaled a new willingness to compromise.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said that 'many opportunities have opened up' following Israel's military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home the remaining hostages held in Gaza. It marked the first time in months that the long-time Israeli leader has clearly prioritized the return of the hostages over the defeat of Hamas.
Netanyahu is scheduled to travel to Washington this weekend and meet Trump at the White House on Monday. Before he leaves for the trip, he will convene his full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss the proposal. Even though far-right members of Israel's government have said they will try to torpedo the deal, other political parties have made clear they will throw their support behind a ceasefire.
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Gaza Humanitarian Foundation says two of its US aid workers injured in Gaza
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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Yahoo
an hour ago
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A Gaza ceasefire is the closest it has been in months. Here's what we know
US President Donald Trump says he's 'optimistic' a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be agreed next week after Hamas announced that it had 'submitted a positive response' to a proposal for a 60-day truce with Israel. 'We have to get it over with,' Trump said Friday. 'We have to do something about Gaza.' Israel and Hamas have long had conflicting demands that negotiators have been unable to bridge, but with both now agreeing the revised proposal, for the first time in months an agreement seems within reach. The renewed efforts gathered steam following a truce between Iran and Israel but also reflect US pressure and a shift in Israel's war goals. Here's what to know. Since the Israel-Iran ceasefire on June 24, mediators Qatar and Egypt – as well as the United States – have redoubled their calls for a new Gaza truce. A Qatari foreign ministry spokesman told CNN the Israel-Iran agreement had created 'momentum' for the latest talks between Israel and Hamas. 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Polls have repeatedly shown that a majority of the country wants a deal to bring the hostages home, even if it means an end to the war. In addition to the aim of bringing the hostages home, Netanyahu has not wavered from his more maximalist aims: disarmament of Gaza and the destruction of Hamas' military capabilities and governance abilities. But last weekend, the prime minister made a rhetorical shift in laying out Israel's goals – for the first time prioritizing the return of hostages ahead of what he once called the 'supreme objective' of defeating Hamas. Netanyahu said 'many opportunities have opened up' following Israel's military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing home everyone still held captive by Hamas. 'Firstly, to rescue the hostages,' he said. 'Of course, we will also need to solve the Gaza issue, defeat Hamas, but I believe we will accomplish both missions.' The comments were welcomed by families of hostages held in Gaza, who have criticized him for not clearly placing releasing their Ioved ones as Israel's primary goal. Only a small number of hostages have been rescued in military operations rather than freed under truces. The Israeli military this week recommended pursuing a diplomatic path in Gaza after nearly two years of fighting and the elimination of much of Hamas' senior leadership. On Tuesday, a military official told CNN that Israel has not fully achieved all of its war goals, but as Hamas' forces have shrunk and gone into hiding, it has become more difficult to effectively target what remains of the militant group. 'It's harder now to achieve tactical goals,' the official said. Hamas announced on Friday that it 'submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework.' The militant group has three main demands: a permanent end to the fighting, for humanitarian assistance to be carried out by the United Nations, and for Israel to retreat to the positions it held on March 2 this year, before it renewed its offensive and occupied the northern part of the Strip. A senior Hamas official told CNN in late May that the group is 'ready to return the hostages in one day – just we want a guarantee that war will not come again after that.' The hostages are Hamas' key leverage in negotiations, and the militant group has refused to agree to a release without a path to end the conflict. In response to the earlier Trump administration-backed ceasefire proposal in May, Hamas requested US assurances that permanent ceasefire negotiations will continue and that fighting will not resume after the 60-day pause. Whether the ceasefire will be temporary or a pathway to a permanent truce is the biggest sticking point between the warring parties. While Israel wants to eradicate Hamas following the Oct. 7 attacks, the group has shown little willingness to relinquish its political and military power in Gaza. Officials in the group have given contradictory statements as to Hamas' role in a post-war Gaza. The group's spokesperson, Hazem Qassem, has said that the group is not 'clinging to power' and does not have to be part of arrangements 'in the next phase.' While the fine detail of the proposal is yet to be released it is clear that the revised plan is an attempt to bridge some of the differences between Israel and Hamas. A source familiar with the negotiations said that the timeline of the latest proposal calls for the release of 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased hostages spread out over the full 60-day period. Of the 50 hostages still in Gaza, at least 20 of them are believed to be alive, according to the Israeli government. Similiar to previous ceasefires, on the first day of the truce, Hamas would release eight living hostages. In exchange, Israel would release an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees, and withdraw its forces from pre-agreed locations in northern Gaza. Israel and Hamas would also immediately enter into negotiations for a permanent ceasefire once the initial truce goes into effect, the source said. Under the deal, hostages will be released without ceremonies or fanfare at Israel's request – unlike during the last truce, when Hamas staged public propaganda events around hostage transfers that sparked outrage in Israel. Humanitarian aid will immediately begin to flow into Gaza at the start of the ceasefire, including from the United Nations and from other aid organizations, similar to the previous ceasefire which began on January 19. This leaves the fate of the US-backed GHF and its role in Gaza unclear. The US and the mediators have provided stronger assurances about reaching a settlement to end the war in Gaza as part of the updated proposal, an Israeli official told CNN, something that in principle should address one of Hamas' key concerns. The official did not provide the specific language in the document, but said the wording is stronger than previous assurances. Although both sides have accepted the proposal more talks must take place before a ceasefire begins. In these proximity talks, likely to take place in Doha or Cairo, negotiators shuttle back and forth between the two sides to hammer out the final details of the agreement. One of the key issues to resolve during proximity talks will be the timeline and location of the withdrawal of Israeli forces in Gaza during the 60-day ceasefire, according to the source. In the 21 months of war between Israel and Hamas, ceasefires have been in place for a total of only nine weeks. More than 57,000 people, of which more than 17,000 are children, have been killed in Gaza during the fighting, according to the Palestinian health ministry. The first ceasefire came into effect in November 2023, but lasted only a week. In that time, 105 hostages were released from Gaza, in exchange for scores of Palestinian prisoners. A second ceasefire was not struck until January 2025, shortly before Trump's return to the White House. In just over 8 weeks – the first 'phase' of the ceasefire – Hamas freed 33 hostages, with Israel releasing around 50 Palestinian prisoners for every Israeli freed. Under the planned second stage, Israel was supposed to agree to a permanent ceasefire. But Israel resumed its offensive on March 18, shattering the ceasefire and derailing the talks, saying it did so to put pressure on Hamas to release the remaining hostages. CNN's Jeremy Diamond, Kristen Holmes, Kylie Atwood, Dana Karni, Michael Schwartz and Oren Liebermann contributed to this report.
