Hamas has agreed to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the release of half the hostages held in Gaza and Israel's release of some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source said on Monday.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval of the proposal, writing on Facebook: "The movement has handed over its approval to the new proposal presented by the mediators."

Israeli media quoted Israeli sources as saying the Hamas response had been received.

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There was no official response from Israel, but in a video from his office Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: "I, like you, hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression - Hamas is under immense pressure."

The Egyptian official source stated that the agreement included a suspension of Israeli military operations for 60 days and outlined a framework for a comprehensive deal to end the nearly two-year conflict.

A source familiar with the negotiations said the proposal closely mirrored an earlier plan put forward by US special envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel had accepted.

⁠The mediators met Hamas representatives in Cairo on Sunday, and Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Qatari prime minister, joined the discussions on Monday and met both Egyptian President AbdelFattah el-Sisi and Hamas representatives, said an official briefed on the meetings.

Israel's plans to seize control of Gaza City have stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis on Sunday held some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023. Israeli officials believe 20 are alive.

In an apparent show of force late on Monday, Israeli tanks advanced into the Sabra neighbourhood in the heart of Gaza City, according to witnesses who counted the presence of at least nine tanks and bulldozers.

Israel approved the plan to take control of Gaza City earlier this month, but officials had said it could take weeks to start, leaving the door open for a ceasefire, even though Netanyahu had said it would get under way "fairly quickly" and end the war with Hamas' defeat.

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