Hamas Accepts Temporary Cease-Fire Proposal After Rejecting Offer to End War

Hamas has accepted a temporary cease-fire proposal, instead of an offer that required them to release the hostages and hand the enclave to an international force in exchange for a permanent end to the war in Gaza, Arab mediators said.

- Summer Said & Anat Peled

The deal Hamas said it accepted pressure," Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday night. Since the collapse of talks last month, the Israeli leader said he would only accept a single-stage deal to return all the hostages and end the war, under which Hamas must relinquish its arms and power in the enclave.

Hamas didn't respond to a request for comment.

The deal Monday was almost identical to one offered by Israel in July, when Hamas added terms and Israel pulled out of the talks.

Hamas's change of heart comes as Israel moves ahead with plans announced earlier this month to take over Gaza city, where hundreds of thousands of Palestinians are believed to be sheltering and where some hostages are thought to be held.

"Hamas is under immense group has now accepted would release 10 hostages in exchange for a 60-day pause in fighting and the return of Palestinian prisoners. A senior Israeli official said Israel is still demanding the release of all 50 hostages before ending the war.

Nevertheless, Israel is currently considering whether to accept the deal, and will likely give a response later this week, according to an Israeli official.

President Trump said Monday the remaining hostages in Gaza would only be freed once "Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!!" in a post on Truth Social. "The sooner this happens, the better the chances of success will be."