Hamas accepts latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal proposal

Hamas has accepted the latest ceasefire and hostage-release proposal from regional mediators, a source in the group told the BBC.

The plan, put forward by Egypt and Qatar, is based on a two-stage framework first introduced in June by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff. Under the terms, Hamas would release about half of the remaining 50 Israeli hostages — including 20 believed to still be alive — in two phases over an initial 60-day truce. Negotiations for a permanent ceasefire would follow.

Israel’s position is less clear. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office has said that any agreement must secure the release of all hostages at once, not in stages. In a video released after reports of Hamas’s approval, Netanyahu did not directly address the development but said it appeared the group was “under immense pressure.”

Later this week, Netanyahu’s cabinet is expected to sign off on a military plan to occupy Gaza City. Intensified Israeli strikes there have already forced thousands of Palestinians to flee. Netanyahu has vowed to expand the offensive to capture all of Gaza — including the areas where most of its two million residents are now concentrated — after ceasefire talks collapsed last month.

Public pressure inside Israel is mounting. On Sunday, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators gathered in Tel Aviv demanding a hostage deal and an end to the war. Netanyahu, however, accused the protesters of emboldening Hamas in the negotiations. He insists the conflict will only end once all hostages are freed, Hamas disarms, Gaza is demilitarised, and its governance is handed to an administration unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority.

For its part, Hamas has pushed for a broader agreement: the release of hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, a halt to the war, full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and recognition of an independent Palestinian state. The group has said it will not disarm without that condition being met.

Israel’s campaign in Gaza began after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 assault on southern Israel, in which roughly 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage. Since then, at least 62,004 Palestinians have been killed, according to the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza.