Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that would see half of the hostages in Gaza freed in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official said on Monday.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the decision on Facebook, adding that other Palestinian factions had also notified mediators of their approval. Egypt and Qatar, with U.S. support, have been leading the talks. An Israeli official confirmed the proposal had been received, though no response was issued.
The deal would suspend Israeli military operations in Gaza City, setting a framework for a comprehensive settlement to end the nearly two-year-old war. A source familiar with the process said it closely mirrored an earlier plan accepted by Israel that was put forward by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff.
Mediators met Hamas representatives in Cairo on Sunday, followed by talks between Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, and Hamas officials on Monday.
Israel has approved plans to seize control of Gaza City, which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described as Hamas’ last stronghold. But tens of thousands of Israelis staged mass protests on Sunday, demanding a deal to end the fighting and secure the release of the remaining 50 hostages, of whom officials believe only 20 are alive.
Inside Gaza City, thousands have fled west and south as tanks advanced into the Sabra suburb on Monday, with witnesses reporting at least nine tanks and bulldozers. The Israeli military said the country was at a “turning point” in its campaign, pledging intensified strikes on Hamas positions.
Palestinians have also voiced fears of displacement.
“I am heading south because I need to ease my mental state,” resident Mousa Obaid told Reuters. “There is no life left, and as you can see, living conditions are hard, prices are high, and we have been without work for over a year and a half.”
Sharp divisions remain over Israel’s demands for Hamas to disarm and over the scope of an Israeli withdrawal. Hamas has rejected those conditions, saying it will not surrender weapons or expel its leaders until a Palestinian state is established.
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on Monday that the remaining hostages would only be freed if Hamas was “confronted and destroyed,” urging a decisive Israeli campaign.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior ...
A known Islamist suspected of driving a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead during a police operation at a...
Britain's new Prime Minister Andy Burnham "will always put Britain's interests first", he told the BBC in an interview when asked whether he was willi...
Russian authorities said 11 people, including four children, had been killed by Ukraine in an overnight attack on a holiday camp, accusing Kyiv on Saturday of deliberately targeting civilians.
Iran will halt its own attacks as long as the United States maintains its pause on strikes, but Tehran remains sceptical of U.S. intentions, a senior Iranian source told on Sunday.
Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief. Here are the top news stories for the 25th of July, covering the latest developments you need to know.
Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto recently offered the dismissed Ukraine’s Defence Minister, Mykhailo Federov an adviser role in Italy.
U.S. President Donald Trump says Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will visit Washington next week as tensions continue to rise across the Middle East.
Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian villages in the West Bank early on Sunday, setting fire to two mosques and scrawling graffiti on buildings, Palestinian officials said.
A new state agency wants the world to take Georgian food as seriously as Georgians already do.
Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan have signed regional and commercial agreements worth more than 80 billion tenge ($146 million). The deals aim to expand cooperation between the two Central Asian neighbors in trade, transport, industry and cross-border development.
UN Secretary General António Guterres arrived in Damascus on Saturday for the first trip to Syria by a serving United Nations' chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions.
More than 100 Afghan business representatives travelled to Uzbekistan this week for a business forum aimed at expanding trade and investment, as Uzbek investors also expressed interest in Afghanistan’s mining sector.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment