Hamas accepts new Gaza ceasefire proposal, Israel submits counter-proposal | Today News (2025)

A top Hamas official said on Saturday that the group accepted a new Gaza ceasefire proposal it received two days ago from mediators Egypt and Qatar, urging Israel to back it.

"Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar. We dealt with it positively and accepted it," Khalil al-Hayya was quoted by Reuters as saying in a televised speech.

"We hope that the [Israeli] occupation will not undermine [it]," said Hayya, who leads the Hamas negotiating team in indirect talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza that erupted in October 2023.

Khalil al-Haya added, "The weapons of the resistance are a red line." He said Hamas would not disarm as long as the "Israeli" occupation exists.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office confirmed it had also received a proposal from the mediators and had submitted a counter-proposal in response.

"Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, yesterday, held a series of consultations pursuant to the proposal that was received from the mediators," his office said in a statement.

"A few hours ago, Israel conveyed to the mediators a counter-proposal in full coordination with the US," it said without elaborating.

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave no details about Israel’s counter-proposal, which it said was offered after Netanyahu held consultations on Friday.

Israel and the US say Hamas must not have a role in post-war Gaza arrangements.

Meanwhile, security sources told Reuters on Thursday that Egypt had received positive indications from Israel over a new ceasefire proposal that would include a transitional phase.

A day earlier, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim had said talks between the Palestinian Islamist movement and mediators over a ceasefire deal were gaining momentum as Israel continues intensive operations in Gaza.

Palestinian sources close to Hamas had told AFP that talks began Thursday evening between the militant group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive a ceasefire and hostage release deal.

The fragile truce that had brought weeks of relative calm to the Gaza Strip ended on March 18 when Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the territory.

The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release hostages, and Hamas warned the captives would return "in coffins" if Israel did not stop bombing the Palestinian territory.

Israel began its offensive after thousands of Hamas-led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and abducting 251 as hostages, according to Israeli tallies.

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30 Mar 2025, 08:20 AM IST