Hamas source says group accepts mediators' latest Gaza ceasefire proposal

A Hamas source said the group had accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by mediators that reportedly involves the releasing of 10 hostages in two batches and a 70-day truce. The outline of the new potential deal was revealed as Israel ramped up its offensive in the Palestinian territory, and follows previous rounds of talks that have failed to reach a breakthrough ever since a two-m

A Hamas source said the group had accepted a Gaza ceasefire proposal presented by
mediators that reportedly involves the releasing of 10 hostages in two batches
and a 70-day truce.
       
The outline of the new potential deal was revealed as Israel ramped up its
offensive in the Palestinian territory, and follows previous rounds of talks
that have failed to reach a breakthrough ever since a two-month ceasefire fell
apart in mid-March.
       
"Hamas has agreed to the new proposal by US envoy Steve Witkoff, which the
movement received from mediators," the Hamas source told AFP.
       
The deal, they added, included "a 70-day truce in exchange for the release
of 10 hostages in two batches, and during the truce, negotiations would begin
on a permanent ceasefire with American guarantees".
       
Witkoff, US President Donald Trump's special envoy for the Middle East, was
involved in the negotiations that led to the last ceasefire deal.
       
Another Palestinian source close to the negotiations told AFP the new
proposal laid out "the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in
exchange for a 70-day truce, a partial (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip (and) the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners".
       
The source added that mediators presented the proposal "over the past few
days".
       
The United States, Egypt and Qatar have all had a hand in mediating the
ceasefire talks throughout the war.
       
The proposal, the second source said, would involve the release of "five
living Israeli hostages during the first week of the agreement's
implementation, and five others before the end of the truce period".
       
Israel had said last week that it was recalling its senior Gaza hostage
negotiators from talks in Doha "for consultation", while leaving some
lower-level members of its team in the Qatari capital.
       
Israel has recently intensified its campaign in Gaza, calling it an
"expansion of the battle" against Hamas.
       
The last ceasefire between the sides fell apart amid disagreements over how
to move forward, with Israel resuming its operations in Gaza on March 18.
       
On March 2, Israel imposed a total aid blockade on the territory that it
said was aimed at forcing concessions from Hamas, with UN agencies since
warning it has created critical shortages of food, clean water, fuel and
medicines.
       
Israel partially eased the blockade last week, and aid trucks have begun to
trickle back into Gaza, though humanitarian groups have urged it to allow more
supplies to enter faster.