Hamas Accepts Ceasefire Proposal, Israel Pushes Back With Counter-Proposal: Reports

The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has taken a new turn as Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, has reportedly accepted a ceasefire proposal from regional negotiators. However, Israel has pushed back on the terms, submitting a counter-proposal backed by the US. The development comes after renewed Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza in March, which shattered two months of fragile calm in the territory and killed hundreds of people.

Earlier, a first-stage ceasefire was agreed in January under intense pressure from the then-incoming President Donald Trump administration. However, the restarting of military operations in Gaza threw the future of the hard-won pause into jeopardy. The deal had halted 15 months of war in Gaza that destroyed the densely-populated territory.

Hamas said on Saturday that it had accepted a new proposal from Cairo and Doha to stop fighting in the enclave. "Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar," said Hamas chief, Khalil al-Hayya. He further added, "We dealt with it positively and accepted it."

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Israel's Counter-Proposal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office said in a statement on Saturday that the country had submitted a "counter-proposal" to the ceasefire mediators "in full coordination" with the Trump administration. The details of the counter-proposal are not yet clear.

The Associated Press reported, citing an Egyptian official, that an American-Israeli citizen would be among the hostages released from Gaza in exchange for Israel allowing the resumption of humanitarian aid into the strip, a week-long pause in fighting, and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

The experts believed that the situation remains fluid, with pressing questions about whether Hamas and Israel will respect fresh agreements.