Hamas accepts ceasefire plan, Israel yet to respond

Israel is studying Hamas's response to a Gaza ceasefire proposal, Egypian officials said on Tuesday. The potential deal includes a 60-day truce and the release of half the Israeli hostages still held in the battered enclave.

Mediator Qatar said that a Gaza truce proposal given the green light by Hamas was "almost identical" to an earlier version that Israel had agreed to.

Hamas gave a "very positive response, and it truly was almost identical to what the Israeli side had previously agreed to", Qatar foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari told reporters, without elaborating on what changes had been made to the accepted proposal. 

Hope rekindled

Qatar, with Egypt and the United States, has been engaged in mediation for a ceasefire throughout the 22-month war in Gaza but, apart from two short-lived truces, the talks have failed to stop the fighting. 

The proposal includes the release of 200 Palestinian convicts jailed in Israel and an unspecified number of imprisoned women and minors, in return for 10 living and 18 deceased hostages from Gaza, according to a Hamas official.

Two Egyptian security sources confirmed the details, and added that Hamas has requested the release of hundreds of Gaza detainees as well.

The proposal includes a partial withdrawal of Israeli forces, which presently control 75 percent of Gaza and the entry of more humanitarian aid into the enclave, where a population of 2.2 million people is increasingly facing famine.

Hopes for a deal were rekindled on Monday after Hamas said it had accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza following a push by Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo.

The previous round of mediation for a deal in Doha broke down in July, with Israel agreeing to a truce proposal but then rejecting Hamas amendments.

"We cannot make any claims that a breakthrough has been made. But we do believe it is a positive point," Ansari added.

"We are at a decisive humanitarian moment. If we don't reach a deal now, we will face a humanitarian catastrophe that will make all those that preceded it pale in comparison," the spokesman added.

Egypt said it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding "the ball is now in its court." Israel has yet to respond.

Israel not interested in 'partial' deals

Commenting on the ceasefire proposal agreed to by Hamas, the former Egyptian assistant foreign minister Hussein Haridy told Al Jazeera Media network that Israel may not back a deal.

"My understanding is that both the American administration and the Israeli government are not very interested in partial deals, they wanted the release of all the hostages and then we'll see how things will develop after that," former Egyptian assistant foreign minister Hussein Haridy told Al Jazeera Media network.

"Much water has passed under the bridge, one month and a half has made a lot of difference," Haridy said. "The question is… why didn’t Hamas accept this proposal one month and a half ago? … Timing is of great importance."

Haridy noted that since the proposal was first made by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, Israel has announced a plan to launch an offensive against Gaza City, and that the Israeli and U.S. positions are now more aligned on the perceived necessity of defeating Hamas.

"The game has changed a little bit," said Haridy, adding that Israel may now no longer want to agree to the deal that was previously on the table.

No amendments requested

Negotiations in recent months have focused on a framework for an initial 60-day truce and the staggered release of Israeli hostages held in Gaza, which was first proposed by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.  

Ansari confirmed the current proposal included the two-month truce as well as provisions to allow for the entry of aid. 

Having accepted this new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, Hamas said it was ready for talks.

"The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators' new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people," senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Facebook.

Earlier a Hamas source told reporters the group accepted the proposal "without requesting any amendments."

Israel's 'deliberate policy' of starvation

A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said mediators were "expected to announce that an agreement has been reached and set a date for the resumption of talks," adding guarantees were offered to ensure implementation and pursue a permanent solution.

The proposal comes more than a week after Israel's security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, which has sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition.

Rights group Amnesty International meanwhile accused Israel of enacting a "deliberate policy" of starvation in Gaza and "systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life."

Israel, while heavily restricting aid allowed into Gaza, has repeatedly rejected claims of deliberate starvation.

Israel's war has killed more than 62,004 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry in Gaza.