3 hours ago
Last Updated:August 18, 2025, 21:36 IST
The proposal includes a 60-day truce and hostage release in phases.
Another Palestinian official earlier said mediators had proposed an initial 60-day truce and hostage release in two batches. (AFP photo)
In a renewed diplomatic push to end the 22 months of war, Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza and said it is ready for talks, according to media reports. However, Israel is yet to reply.
The proposal was drafted by mediators Egypt and Qatar to end the humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.
“Hamas has delivered its response to the mediators, confirming that Hamas and the factions agreed to the new ceasefire proposal without requesting any amendments," said a source from Hamas told AFP.
A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said mediators were “expected to announce that an agreement has been reached and set a date for the resumption of talks", adding guarantees were offered to ensure implementation and pursue a permanent solution.
Another Palestinian official earlier said mediators had proposed an initial 60-day truce and hostage release in two batches.
The proposal comes more than a week after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to expand the war into Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, which has sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition.
An Islamic Jihad source told AFP the plan envisaged a 60-day ceasefire “during which 10 Israeli hostages would be released alive, along with a number of bodies".
Out of 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27, the Israeli military says, are dead.
The Islamic Jihad source said “the remaining captives would be released in a second phase", with negotiations for a broader settlement to follow. They added that “all factions are supportive" of the Egyptian and Qatari proposal.
US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!"
“The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be."
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel “will agree to an agreement in which all the hostages are released at once and according to our conditions for ending the war".
Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into Gaza, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation.
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 more than 62,004 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, which the United Nations considers reliable.
(With inputs from AFP)
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
Saurabh Verma covers general, national and international day-to-day news for News18.com as a Senior Sub-editor. He keenly observes politics. You can follow him on Twitter --twitter.com/saurabhkverma19
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Location :Jerusalem, Israel
First Published:August 18, 2025, 21:34 IST
News world Hamas Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Plan, Ball Now In Israel’s Court
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