Hamas agrees to Gaza ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar
Israel, which has not yet agreed to the proposal, continued its military strikes on Saturday, killing at least 20 Palestinians
Hamas has agreed to a Gaza ceasefire proposal it received two days ago from mediators Egypt and Qatar, the Palestinian militant group’s chief said on Saturday.
“Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar. We dealt with it positively and accepted it,” Khalil al-Hayya said in a televised speech.
“We hope that the [Israeli] occupation will not undermine [it],” said Hayya, who leads the Hamas negotiating team in indirect talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza that erupted in October 2023.
Security sources said on Thursday that Egypt had received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase.
The proposal suggests Hamas release five of the Israeli hostages it is holding each week, the sources said.
The Israeli prime minister’s office said it had held a series of consultations according to the proposal that was received from the mediators, and that Israel had conveyed to the mediators a counterproposal in full coordination with the US.
The prime minister’s office did not immediately respond when asked if it had also agreed to the ceasefire proposal but it did not immediately respond.