Hope rises for a aza truce as Hamas studies latest offer

Israeli proposal for release of 33 hostages, 40-day ceasefire closest to pausing the war

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CAIRO Hope was rising on April 30 for a Gaza truce and hostage release deal, as Hamas continued to review the latest proposal that negotiators say is the closest they have come to pausing a war that has left nearly 35,000 dead in its wake and displaced millions.

Hamas whose Oct 7 attack started the war in the Gaza Strip said it was considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the release of scores of hostages for larger numbers of Palestinian prisoners.

The Islamist group, whose envoys returned from the Cairo talks to their base in Qatar, would "discuss the ideas and the proposal", said a Hamas source, adding that "we are keen to respond as quickly as possible".

Sources in Egypt - a key mediator alongside the US and Qatar told AI Qahera News, a site linked to Egyptian intelligence services, that Hamas envoys were due to "return with a written response" on May 1.

Israel said it would consider joining the talks once Hamas responds to the latest proposal.

With US Secretary of State Antony Blinken due to arrive in Tel Aviv on April 30, pressure has been building for an agreement to stop the war as it nears the end of its seventh month.

Expectations that an agreement could be in sight have grown in recent days following a renewed push led by Egypt to revive stalled negotiations between Israel and Hamas.

But so far, there has been little sign of an agreement on the most fundamental difference between the two sides: The Hamas demand that any deal must ensure a withdrawal of troops and a permanent end to the Israeli operation in Gaza.

"We can't tell our people the occupation will stay or the fight will resume after Israel regains its prisoners," said a Palestinian official from a group allied with Hamas.