Hamas agrees to US's Gaza truce plan involving hostages, 70-day ceasefire: Report

Hamas has agreed to US ceasefire proposal aimed at halting the war in Gaza. The development came just hours after an Israeli airstrike on a school-turned-shelter in Gaza City killed at least 36 Palestinians. 

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Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal from US special envoy Steve Witkoff that could lead to a pause in the Gaza war, a Palestinian official told Reuters on Monday.

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The proposal, delivered via mediators, includes the release of 10 Israeli hostages in two phases in exchange for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. It also involves Israel freeing hundreds of Palestinian prisoners, including many serving long sentences. Israel has not yet responded to the proposal.

Hamas has signalled it is open to releasing all remaining Israeli hostages in exchange for a permanent ceasefire on the condition that Israel completely withdraws from Gaza. 

The group, along with its allied factions, resumed rocket attacks against Israel two days after Tel Aviv ended a months-long ceasefire on March 18 and relaunched its military campaign in the besieged territory. 

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has firmly rejected any deal that includes a full withdrawal. He reiterated that Israel will only consider a temporary truce if hostages are freed, and that the war will continue until Hamas is fully dismantled.

The Israel-Hamas conflict in Gaza

The latest round of violence in the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched a massive surprise assault on southern Israel, killing over 1,200 people and taking hundreds of hostages. The attack marked the deadliest single-day violence in Israel’s history. In response, Israel began an extensive military operation in Gaza, which has since led to tens of thousands of Palestinian casualties and the displacement of nearly two million people. Israel maintains that its objective is to eliminate Hamas as a military and governing force. Hamas, meanwhile, insists its resistance is against occupation and continued blockade. Despite intermittent ceasefires brokered by international mediators, lasting peace has remained elusive. The humanitarian situation in Gaza has become catastrophic, with severe shortages of food, medicine, and shelter. Multiple countries, including the United States and Egypt, continue to push for a long-term ceasefire and a political resolution to the crisis, but core demands from both sides remain irreconcilable.