Hamas has told Egyptian and Qatari mediators it is willing to accept a ceasefire proposal to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages, said a diplomat briefed on the talks.
They said the Palestinian militant group had agreed to a deal that would preserve “98 per cent” of a proposal first put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in May, which Israel had originally accepted. That plan calls for an initial 60-day truce.
“The proposal includes a path towards a comprehensive agreement to end the war,” the diplomat said, adding it would initially include the release of half of the hostages.
The latest diplomatic push came as Israel faces mounting pressure from allies to end its offensive in Gaza sparked by Hamas’s October 7 2023 attack on Israel. The offensive devastated the enclave and caused widespread starvation.
Hamas said it had told mediators it accepted the proposal. Israel did not formally comment on the latest diplomatic efforts to end the war.
