CNN
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Hamas announced on Friday that it had “submitted a positive response” to Gaza’s proposal for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel, paving the way for a contract to stop the conflict after months of failing efforts.
Hamas “is fully prepared to submit a positive response to mediators and immediately enter negotiations on mechanisms to implement this framework,” the group said in a statement.
Israel had previously embraced a US-sponsored framework. That is, both parties are expected to enter into final detailed negotiations before they formally reach the ceasefire agreement.
Vishara Baba, a Palestinian-American interlocutor who has been discussing directly with Hamas, praised the group’s response on Facebook, saying, “We are now approaching ending this cursed war.”
He said Hamas had introduced “fixes that appear to be necessary.”
“In my view, God is pleased that these revisions will not prevent us from reaching a ceasefire agreement within the next week,” he said.
An Israeli source familiar with the issue said earlier on Friday that Israel hoped a positive response from Hamas and repeated several points in the proposed language. Sources said these changes were not expected to derail ceasefire efforts.
Of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages in Gaza, the proposal calls for the release of 10 living hostages and 18 dead during the ceasefire. On the first day of the ceasefire, Hamas released eight living hostages in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. After its release, Israel will withdraw from parts of North Gaza, and both will begin negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.
Hostage releases are to be held without Hamas rituals or fanfare. The remaining hostages will be released on the four dates specified in the proposal.
Following the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month, efforts to secure a ceasefire have intensified. Qatar, the main negotiator, immediately began indirect consultations for a new round between Israel and Hamas, finding a “center” based on previous proposals.
The new proposal includes stronger assurances regarding the US commitment to keep Israel at the negotiation table during or potentially a 60-day ceasefire, according to Israeli officials and sources familiar with negotiations.
We also pledge to allow a surge in aid to Gaza not through Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, but through traditional humanitarian channels.
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Israel has “accepted the necessary conditions” to finalize a deal to halt hostilities for 60 days. In a post about the True Society, Trump warned Hamas to accept the proposal as well.
“I hope Hamas will make this deal for the benefit of the Middle East, because it won’t get better. It’ll only get worse,” he said.
Israel accepted the new proposal on Tuesday, but Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s best friend, Ron Dahmer, was in Washington, DC, met with top Trump administration officials, including US special mission Steve Witkoff. The next day, Hamas said it was discussing the proposal as part of a “national consultation” and aimed to reach an agreement that would guarantee “an “an invasion, withdrawal of (Israel forces) and an emergency relief for the people of the Gaza Strip.”
Israel and Hamas are currently expected to quickly enter into close consultations, according to sources familiar with negotiations. Meanwhile, both staff members are in the same building, and negotiators are sending messages to reach the deal quickly between them. Such a lecture may take several days. Or you could close faster. One important issue to be resolved is the timeline for Israeli forces’ withdrawal in Gaza during a ceasefire, sources said.
Qatar submitted new proposals to Hamas and Israel this week for a 60-day ceasefire backed by the Trump administration, following months of behind-the-scenes efforts led by Witkov.
After a two-month ceasefire collapsed in March and Israel renewed the bombing of Gaza, the Trump administration proposed a ceasefire proposal rejected by Hamas as it failed to include guarantees about a permanent end to the war. The new version attempted to explain its critical Hamas demand, offering a stronger US guarantee that the ceasefire would last for more than 60 days, even if the comprehensive contract had not yet reached.
Israel has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians in Gaza since the start of the war, according to the Palestinian Ministry of Health. As negotiators worked to advance the latest ceasefire proposal, Israel strengthened the fires of Gaza, killing scores across the besieged enclave.
Until now, Israel has refused to agree to a ceasefire agreement, including the comprehensive purpose of the war. Netanyahu said the country’s goals include the destruction of Hamas’ military and governing capabilities. However, after the conflict with Iran, he showed a new willingness to compromise.
On Sunday, Netanyahu said “many opportunities have been opened” following Israeli military operations in Iran, including the possibility of bringing the remaining hostages home in Gaza. It was marked for the first time in months that Israel’s longtime leadership clearly prioritized the return of hostages against Hamas’ defeat.
Netanyahu will travel to Washington this weekend and will meet Trump at the White House on Monday. Before he sets out on his trip, he will convened a full cabinet on Saturday night to discuss the proposal. Far-right members of the Israeli government say they will try to torpedo the deal, but other political parties have made it clear that they will cast their support behind the ceasefire.
