Hamas accepts 60-day Gaza ceasefire in proposed hostage release deal: Report

Hamas, the Palestinian terror group, on Monday said it had accepted a proposed hostage release deal that includes a 60-day ceasefire in war-torn Gaza, news agency Reuters reported, amid continued fighting in the region.

However, according to Saudi channel Al Arabiya, the proposal represents a compromise between a full ceasefire and a temporary truce, which includes the release of the remaining hostages and a gradual withdrawal of the Israeli military from Gaza.

The development came as thousands of Palestinians fled their homes in eastern areas of Gaza City, fearing an imminent Israeli ground offensive. The planned offensive has spurred Egyptian and Qatari ceasefire mediators to step up efforts in what a source familiar with the talks with Hamas militants in Cairo said could be "a last-ditch attempt".

Israel has said it will agree to cease hostilities if all the hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms - the former's demand being publicly rejected by the terror group until a Palestinian state is established.

Israel's plan to seize control of Gaza City has stirred alarm abroad and at home, where tens of thousands of Israelis held some of the largest protests since the war began, urging a deal to end the fighting and free the remaining 50 hostages held by Hamas in Gaza since October 7,



2023.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas's last big urban bastion. But, with Israel already holding 75 per cent of Gaza, the military has warned that expanding the offensive could endanger hostages still alive and draw troops into protracted and deadly guerrilla warfare.

The Israeli military earlier said it was preparing to provide tents and other equipment starting from Sunday ahead of its plan to relocate residents from combat zones to the south of Gaza "to ensure their safety". However, Hamas rejected Israel's proposal, saying the move constituted a "new wave of genocide and displacement" for hundreds of thousands of residents in the area.

The last round of indirect ceasefire talks ended in late July in deadlock with Israel and Hamas trading blame for its collapse.

Underscoring the gaps in talks on a ceasefire, US President Donald Trump wrote on Truth Social on Monday, saying, "We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be."

The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led terrorists stormed across the border into southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.