The southern Gaza strip has been hit by Israeli strikes in recent days, The Palestinian militant group Hamas says it supports resuming a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip through a proposal put forward by mediators which would see five more hostages released to Israel in exchange for a 50-day truce.
Khalil al-Hayya, the most senior Hamas leader outside Gaza, said the group had approved a draft deal sent by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said it had also received the plan, and submitted a “counter-proposal to the mediators in full co-ordination with the United States”.
If agreed to, the new limited ceasefire agreement could coincide with the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr which begins on Sunday.
On Saturday, Netanyahu’s office said he had held consultations on the ceasefire proposal from the mediators.
It said the Israeli counter-offer had been agreed with the US, but did not provide further details. The US has not publicly commented on the issue.
The war was triggered when Hamas attacked southern Israel on 7 October 2023, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 back to Gaza as captives.
Israel responded with a massive military offensive, which killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says.
