Hamas has agreed to a new ceasefire and hostage exchange deal.
Hamas said it had responded “in a positive spirit” to a US-brokered ceasefire proposal in Gaza and was ready to begin talks to implement the deal, which would include the release of hostages and talks to end the conflict.
This was reported by Reuters and The Wall Street Journal.
US President Donald Trump earlier announced a “final offer” for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month war between Israel and Hamas, saying he expected a response from both sides in the coming hours.
“Hamas is fully prepared to begin a new round of negotiations immediately and in all seriousness on the mechanism for implementing this program,” the organization said in a response.
The document was developed with the participation of US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and mediators from Egypt and Qatar.
The deal calls for Hamas to release 10 of the roughly 20 hostages Israel believes are still alive, as well as the bodies of some of the roughly 30 dead hostages.
Israel, meanwhile, will release the large number of Palestinians it holds and commit to a 60-day ceasefire.
While the two sides must agree on a number of details before signing any deal, their agreement on the basic terms is the best hope for halting more than three months of heavy Israeli military action and a significant reduction in humanitarian supplies, including food.
Let us recall that in Israel, the families of hostages have been taking to the streets for several months, calling for an end to the war and an agreement on the return of their relatives home.
Earlier, the US called on Israel to postpone the deployment of a full-scale ground operation in the Gaza Strip so as not to disrupt the negotiation process for the release of hostages.
