Hamas has agreed to a proposed 60-day ceasefire deal with Israel that would include the release of half the hostages held in Gaza in exchange for some Palestinian prisoners, an Egyptian official source confirmed on Monday.
Senior Hamas official Basem Naim announced the group’s approval on Facebook, noting that other Palestinian factions had also endorsed the plan. The proposal, mediated by Egypt and Qatar with U.S. backing, was formally delivered to Israel, which has yet to issue an official response. An Israeli official confirmed only that the offer had been received.
The plan would pause Israeli military operations in Gaza for two months and provide a framework toward a broader agreement to end the nearly two-year-old conflict. A source familiar with the talks said the proposal resembled an earlier U.S.-backed plan that Israel had already accepted in principle.
The development comes as tensions escalate in Gaza City, where Israel has approved an offensive to seize full control. On Monday, Israeli tanks and bulldozers pushed into the Sabra neighborhood in a show of force, even as thousands of residents fled bombardments and the looming ground assault.
Israel’s Army Chief of Staff, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir, described the war as reaching a “turning point,” while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Hamas was “under immense pressure.”
At home, tens of thousands of Israelis staged some of the largest protests since the war began, demanding a deal to free the roughly 50 hostages still believed to be in Gaza. Families of captives voiced fears that an expanded military offensive could jeopardize their loved ones’ lives.
Inside Gaza, worsening humanitarian conditions continue to drive mass displacement. Residents of eastern Gaza City reported entire families moving southward, with aid groups warning of famine as malnutrition deaths rise.
Gaza’s health ministry said 263 people, including 112 children, have now died from starvation-related causes.
The conflict, sparked by Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,200 people in Israel and saw 251 hostages taken, has since claimed more than 61,000 Palestinian lives, according to Gaza health officials.
While Hamas has rejected Israeli demands to disarm or expel its leaders, mediators hope the current agreement could serve as a bridge toward a lasting truce. The United States has expressed skepticism, with President Donald Trump warning that hostages would only return once Hamas is “confronted and destroyed.”
Negotiators from Egypt, Qatar, and the U.S. are expected to press both sides in the coming days, as global pressure mounts to halt the war’s devastating toll.
Written By Rodney Mbua
