Gaza Strip: Palestinian militant group Hamas on Monday, August 18, said it has accepted a new ceasefire proposal mediated by Egypt and Qatar to halt fighting in the Gaza Strip, according to media reports. Israel has not yet issued a response.
Palestinian officials told AFP the proposal includes a 60-day pause during which at least 10 Israeli hostages and several bodies would be released. A second phase would see the release of remaining captives, with broader negotiations to follow.
Sources said all Palestinian factions support the Egyptian-Qatari plan. Talks are expected to be formally announced in the coming days.
Al Jazeera reported that the proposal outlines steps towards a comprehensive agreement to end the war, with guarantees for civilian protection. Al Arabiya and Al Hadath added that US envoy Steve Witkoff will be invited to Cairo to finalise the deal.
The Qatari Foreign Ministry confirmed that Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani met Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo on Monday to discuss mediation efforts and detainee exchanges.
The development followed mass protests in Tel Aviv demanding an end to the Gaza war and the release of hostages.
The Israeli military says 49 of the 251 people abducted during Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack remain in Gaza, including 27 confirmed dead.
Hamas’s attack left 1,219 people dead, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has since killed more than 62,004 Palestinians, the majority civilians, according to the health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations.
