Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, announced on Saturday that it is reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Egypt stepped up its efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and prevent a potential Israeli ground offensive into the southern Gaza city of Rafah. Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya confirmed that the group had received Israel's official response to its latest proposal, submitted to Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13, and would study the document before providing a reply.
The announcement came hours after a high-level Egyptian delegation concluded a visit to Israel, where they discussed a "new vision" for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official who spoke on condition of anonymity. The discussions focused on the first stage of a multi-phase plan that would include a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza "with minimum restrictions."
As the war continues to take a heavy toll on civilians, with the Palestinian death toll in Gaza surpassing 34,000 according to the Hamas-run Health Ministry, international pressure has been mounting on both sides to reach an agreement on a ceasefire and avert a possible Israeli attack on Rafah. The city, located on the border with Egypt, has become a refuge for more than half of Gaza's 2.3 million people who have fled fighting elsewhere in the territory.
Israel has been insisting for months that it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, where it believes many remaining Hamas militants are holed up, despite calls for restraint from the international community, including its closest ally, the United States. Egypt has warned that an offensive into Rafah could have "catastrophic consequences" on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as on regional peace and security.
The United States and 17 other countries have appealed to Hamas to release all of its captives as a pathway to end the war. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Friday that he saw renewed momentum in talks to end the war and return captives. Israel has reportedly told Egyptian mediators that it is ready to give negotiations on the release of captives "one last chance" before proceeding with a ground invasion of Rafah.
In a statement issued on Friday, Hamas said it was "open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people," but maintained its key demand that Israel end its war on Gaza. The group also criticized the joint statement issued by the US and others for not calling for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the war-torn Palestinian enclave.
The war in Gaza, which began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7 that killed around 1,200 people and took some 250 hostages, has claimed the lives of more than 34,000 Palestinians, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza. Israel has reported at least 260 of its soldiers killed since the start of ground operations in Gaza.
The conflict is also set to be a key topic of discussion at an international summit in Saudi Arabia over the weekend. The World Economic Forum special meeting, scheduled to begin in Riyadh on Sunday, will include a Gaza-focused session on Monday featuring newly appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, and Sigrid Kaag, the United Nations aid coordinator for the Gaza Strip.
