GAZA CITY (BN24) — Hamas said it has delivered a “positive response” to mediators over a proposed temporary ceasefire and hostage release agreement with Israel, signaling the most significant movement in months toward halting the devastating war in Gaza.
In a statement late Friday, the militant group said it was ready to enter new negotiations on how the proposal would be implemented. “The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework,” Hamas declared.
The response came more than 20 months into the conflict and three months after the collapse of a previous deal. An Israeli official told ABC News that Israel had expected Hamas’ reply by the end of the week.
Earlier this week, Hamas adviser Taher Al-Nounou said the group was still studying the U.S.-backed proposal but remained committed to any framework that would end Israeli military operations. “Hamas is open to any proposal that will end the Israeli military campaign in Gaza, but Hamas wants guarantees that Israel will commit to moving to the second phase of the ceasefire agreement after the first phase, which is set to last for 60 days,” Al-Nounou said.
According to two Israeli sources familiar with the negotiations, the revised plan calls for Hamas to release 10 living hostages and return the remains of 15 others during the 60-day truce. Israeli estimates suggest about 20 hostages remain alive in Gaza. Under the agreement, Hamas would release captives in staggered stages and would refrain from holding public ceremonies marking the returns.
While the outline represents progress, officials on both sides acknowledged that key issues remain unresolved. The number of Palestinian prisoners to be freed in exchange and the scope of any longer-term ceasefire will be central to the next phase of talks.
The proposed deal also includes provisions for negotiations toward a permanent cessation of hostilities during the 60-day pause.
President Donald Trump, who earlier in the week confirmed Israel’s agreement to the plan, said representatives from Qatar and Egypt would deliver the final proposal to Hamas leadership. “I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
The latest initiative follows months of intensive mediation efforts led by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff. A similar Israeli-approved plan presented in May stalled, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resumed major military operations shortly after Trump departed the region on his first overseas trip of his second term.
A previous six-week ceasefire in January secured the release of dozens of hostages and prompted prisoner exchanges before collapsing on March 18. Israel said Hamas failed to free the remaining captives and accused the group of using the lull to regroup and plan new attacks.
The conflict erupted on October 7, 2023, when Hamas militants killed 1,200 people in southern Israel and captured hundreds more. Since then, Israel’s military campaign has left nearly 56,000 dead and more than 131,000 wounded in Gaza, according to the territory’s health ministry, which is controlled by Hamas.
The war has also created a humanitarian crisis in the enclave, which endured an 11-week blockade on aid deliveries that only lifted in May.
