Hamas Accepts New Gaza Ceasefire Proposal, Israel Submits Counter-Proposal

(MENAFN- Live Mint) 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.

Israel submits counter-proposal

Israel said it made a counter-proposal in“full coordination” with the third mediator, the US.

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.

What the new Gaza ceasefire proposal says?

The proposal suggests Hamas release five of the Israeli hostages it is holding each week, sources told Reuters.

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