Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal that would involve a 60-day truce and the phased release of hostages, according to sources within the Palestinian group. The plan, mediated by Egypt and Qatar, was presented over the weekend and reportedly includes further negotiations aimed at ending the war in Gaza permanently.
The ceasefire framework is based on a two-stage proposal originally put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff. It would see the release of approximately half of the remaining 50 Israeli captives held in Gaza. These releases would take place in two batches during the initial 60-day period, alongside an undisclosed number of Palestinian detainees being freed from Israeli prisons.
Hamas announced its acceptance in a brief statement on Monday. “Hamas, along with the Palestinian factions, relayed their acceptance of the proposal put forward yesterday by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators,” the group said. No further details were disclosed.
Israeli media confirmed that officials in Tel Aviv had received Hamas’s response. However, Israel’s government has not issued a formal reply. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has previously insisted that all hostages must be released simultaneously and that Hamas must disarm before any agreement is considered. In a recent video message, he suggested the group was “under immense pressure,” but made no direct comment on the new offer.
Far-right ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich have expressed opposition to any partial agreement. Ben-Gvir stated that Netanyahu “has no mandate to pursue a partial deal,” raising the possibility that the governing coalition could collapse if such a truce is approved.
The announcement by Hamas came as the Israeli military intensified attacks on Gaza City. At least 26 Palestinians were killed on Monday, including 14 people reportedly attempting to collect aid. Medical sources say 60 people died and 344 were injured in the past 24 hours across the Gaza Strip. The Gaza Health Ministry places the total death toll since October 2023 at 62,004.
Air strikes, artillery and drone attacks have focused heavily on the Zeitoun neighbourhood in eastern Gaza City. Witnesses and reporters on the ground described an “ocean of debris” left by near-continuous bombardment. Tactics include widespread destruction of residential blocks to clear space for ground forces and to prevent return by civilians.
An informed source told Al Jazeera that the truce proposal also includes conditions for expanding humanitarian access and restarting reconstruction. The source said the draft agreement provides “a path for a comprehensive resolution to end the war permanently,” though these terms are yet to be confirmed by Israel.
On Sunday, Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo. Both leaders restated their opposition to forced displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and called for an immediate truce. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, speaking from the Rafah crossing, said, “Egypt is ready to flood Gaza with humanitarian aid as soon as Israeli restrictions are removed.”
Despite this, aid remains blocked. The UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) said Palestinian children are preparing for survival, not school. Many are living in converted classrooms and queuing for food and water. UN officials have warned that the education of Gaza’s youth faces collapse, risking the creation of a “lost generation.”
A nurse at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, Amanda Nasser, described “unbearable” conditions, including a lack of food, medicine, and medical equipment. Patients and staff, she said, are suffering both physically and mentally. “All this can be prevented by a ceasefire, opening the borders, and allowing aid in,” she said in a video posted online.
Meanwhile, Israel continues operations across the occupied West Bank. Armed settlers and soldiers blocked Palestinian Minister of Culture Imad Hamdan from entering Kafr Nima, west of Ramallah. The group’s IDs and phones were confiscated before being detained. Separately, Israeli forces demolished structures south of Hebron and in the Bethlehem area, while issuing new demolition orders in Jenin.
Israeli strikes also continued beyond Gaza and the West Bank. In southern Lebanon, four Syrians were wounded by a drone attack. The Lebanese government has accused Israel of violating a ceasefire agreement, and analysts warn that Israeli operations are obstructing US efforts to de-escalate the wider regional conflict.
Inside Israel, protests against the government’s war policy have grown. Hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv on Sunday to demand a hostage deal and ceasefire. Netanyahu dismissed the rallies, claiming they strengthen Hamas’s negotiating position.
US President Donald Trump voiced support for continued Israeli military operations. “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed,” he said on social media. He made no mention of the ceasefire proposal and instead praised his own foreign policy achievements.
Trump’s administration has also suspended visas for critically ill children from Gaza seeking medical treatment in the United States. Humanitarian groups condemned the decision as politically motivated. The World Health Organization said thousands of patients in Gaza now face death from preventable causes.
Amnesty International has accused Israel of using starvation as a weapon of war. In a recent report, the group said the blockade and destruction of infrastructure amounted to a “deliberate policy” to target civilians. Doctors interviewed in Gaza reported treating children with symptoms of extreme malnutrition.
According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, 263 people have died from hunger-related causes, including 112 children. The number continues to rise as aid remains restricted and attacks continue on aid distribution points. At least 1,965 people seeking aid have been killed since the beginning of the war, medical sources said.
While international mediators push for a truce, the situation on the ground remains unstable. The Israeli cabinet is expected to vote this week on a military plan to seize full control of Gaza City. With an estimated one million Palestinians now displaced, fears are growing that further offensives could trigger another wave of mass displacement across the enclave.
HT