Hamas has agreed to the latest proposal from regional mediators for a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal with Israel, a source in the Palestinian armed group has told the BBC.
The proposal from Egypt and Qatar is said to be based on a framework put forward by US envoy Steve Witkoff in June.
It would see Hamas free around half of the 50 remaining Israeli hostages – 20 of whom are believed to be alive – in two batches during an initial 60-day truce. There would also be negotiations on a permanent ceasefire.
It is unclear what Israel’s response will be, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said last week that it would only accept a deal if “all the hostages are released in one go”.
In a video released after the reports of Hamas’s approval emerged, Netanyahu did not comment directly but said that “from them you can get one impression – Hamas is under immense pressure.”
The Israeli military’s chief of staff, Lt Gen Eyal Zamir, meanwhile said it was at a turning point in the 22-month war, with the “focus on enhancing the strikes against Hamas in Gaza City”.
It came as witnesses on the ground in Gaza City reported that Israeli tanks backed by air and artillery strikes had made a surprise advance into the southern Sabra neighbourhood, and surrounded schools and a UN-run clinic sheltering hundreds of displaced people.
