Israel Says It Will Issue Response by End of Week to Ceasefire Plan Accepted by Hamas

Israel has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas, amid mounting pressure for a truce in a war that has claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.

- Peter Beaumont

After mass protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, it appeared that Hamas had reduced its demands over a prisoners-for-hostages exchange as well as over the scope of an Israeli-demanded "security buffer zone".

Under reported details of the proposed plan, about half of the remaining living hostages, as well as bodies, would be released in a phased deal in exchange for about 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, some serving life sentences, during an envisaged 60-day ceasefire.

While Israel has said it is no longer interested in a partial deal, instead threatening an imminent new large-scale offensive to capture Gaza City, the details of the new ceasefire proposal bring it very close to the outline of a deal initially suggested by Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff.

The head of the Mossad, David Barnea, has recently visited Qatar amid speculation that talks are more active than officially acknowledged by Israel.

Israeli officials have briefed that Benjamin Netanyahu will convene talks on the proposal in the next few days. A senior Israeli official told AFP the government's stance had not changed and demanded the release of all hostages in any deal.

Qatar's foreign ministry spokesperson said yesterday that the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas was "almost identical" to an earlier plan put forward by Witkoff.