Hamas accepts plan for ceasefire as pressure on Netanyahu grows

Hamas officials yesterday said they have accepted a proposal for a Gaza ceasefire deal, as Gaza health officials said 62,000 Palestinians had now died in the 22 months of war.

- Peter Beaumont

The proposed deal would include the release of half of the remaining 20 living hostages as part of a phased resolution to the conflict.

It follows negotiations between Hamas and Egyptian and Qatari officials, which have been taking place in Cairo in recent days. It also comes after the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, was confronted on Sunday by Israel's biggest protests of the war, with demonstrators calling for a deal to secure the release of Israeli hostages.

Netanyahu has criticised the massive street protests against his handling of the Gaza war, and failure to secure the release of remaining Israeli hostages, claiming that demonstrators were giving comfort to Hamas's position in negotiations.

Organisers of the protests, for their part, have called for a fresh demonstration this Sunday.

The latest ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas includes a suspension of military operations for 60 days and could be seen as a path to a comprehensive deal to end the nearly two-year-long Israel-Gaza war, according to Egyptian sources.

During the period of suspension, Palestinian prisoners would be exchanged in return for half of the Israeli hostages held in Gaza.

The suggestion of movement in the long-running negotiations comes as Egypt - long regarded as a key mediator between Hamas and Israel - has taken a more central role in the talks. It also comes amid threats by Israel to launch a large new military offensive to take control of Gaza City, potentially displacing up to 1 million Palestinians.