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.
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Start your day informed with AnewZ Morning Brief: here are the top news stories for 28th of September, covering the latest developments you need to know.
New Zealand will not recognise a Palestinian state at this time but remains committed to a two-state solution, Foreign Minister Winston Peters said.
Hamas on Tuesday responded to the joint declaration of an international two-state solution conference in New York, calling it a step toward addressing the Gaza conflict.
The Israeli military said on Wednesday it was opening an additional route for 48 hours that Palestinians could use to leave Gaza City as it stepped up efforts to empty the area of civilians and confront thousands of Hamas troops.
AnewZ has learned that India has once again blocked Azerbaijan’s application for full membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, while Pakistan’s recent decision to consider diplomatic relations with Armenia has been coordinated with Baku as part of Azerbaijan’s peace agenda.
A day of mourning has been declared in Portugal to pay respect to victims who lost their lives in the Lisbon Funicular crash which happened on Wednesday evening.
Video from the USGS (United States Geological Survey) showed on Friday (19 September) the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii erupting and spewing lava.
At least eight people have died and more than 90 others were injured following a catastrophic gas tanker explosion on a major highway in Mexico City’s Iztapalapa district on Wednesday, authorities confirmed.
A powerful 7.4-magnitude earthquake struck off Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula on 13 September with no tsunami threat, coming just weeks after the region endured a devastating 8.8-magnitude quake — the strongest since 1952.
Britain will consider tightening the rules on permanent settlement for migrants by requiring them to prove their value to society, interior minister Shabana Mahmood will say on Monday.
President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, together with First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, attended the opening of the 3rd CIS Games in Ganja on 28 September and officially declared the competition open.
On 27 September 2020, under the leadership of the Glorious Supreme Commander Ilham Aliyev, the Azerbaijani Armed Forces launched a full-scale counteroffensive along the front line to repel military provocations by Armenian forces.
On the eve of the United Nations Security Council meeting on Friday to vote on a six-month extension of Iran’s nuclear sanctions under Resolution 2231, Tehran has stepped up its last-minute diplomatic measures to avert the return of pre-2015 sanctions.
When President Ilham Aliyev traveled to New York in September 2025 for the 80th session of the United Nations General Assembly, his schedule extended beyond diplomacy.
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