Hamas Accepts Ceasefire Plan As Israel Counters in Coordination With U.S.

Palestinian militant group Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal from regional negotiators, the organization said on Saturday, as Israel said it pushed back on the terms with a “counter-proposal” backed by the U.S.

Why It Matters

Renewed Israeli air and ground attacks on Gaza earlier in March shattered two months of fragile calm in the territory and killed hundreds of people, according to Hamas-run authorities in the strip. The Israeli military has said its fresh attacks have killed several high-ranking Hamas officials.

What To Know

A first-stage ceasefire was agreed in January, under intense pressure from the then-incoming President Donald Trump administration. The restarting of military operations in Gaza threw the future of the hard-won pause into jeopardy.

The deal halted 15 months of war in Gaza that destroyed the densely-populated territory. Israel launched extensive ground and air operations on the strip after Hamas carried out its unprecedented attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023, killing approximately 1,200 people and taking a further 251 hostage inside Gaza. 59 hostages are believed to still be in Gaza, and 24 of those held in the strip are thought to be alive.

“Netanyahu and his extremist government have decided to overturn the ceasefire agreement, exposing the prisoners in Gaza to an unknown fate,” Hamas spokesperson Basem Naim told Newsweek earlier in March.

Hamas-run health authorities say more than 50,000 people have been killed in Gaza since October 2023. These figures do not distinguish between combatants and civilians.

Hamas said on Saturday that it had accepted a new proposal from Cairo and Doha to stop fighting in the enclave.

“Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar,” said Hamas chief, Khalil al-Hayya. “We dealt with it positively and accepted it.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said in a statement on Saturday that the country had submitted a “counter-proposal” to the ceasefire mediators “in full coordination” with the Trump administration.

Reuters reported on Monday that Egypt had put forward a fresh proposal, under which Hamas would release five hostages still held in Gaza each week, citing anonymous security sources.

After the first week, Israel would implement a second phase of the ceasefire, according to the report. The proposal also reportedly included a timeline for all of the hostages to be released and for Israel to fully withdraw its military from Gaza.

The Associated Press separately reported, citing an Egyptian official, that an American-Israeli citizen would be among the hostages released from Gaza in exchange for Israel allowing the resumption of humanitarian aid into the strip, a week-long pause in fighting and the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Israel cut off aid heading into Gaza at the start of March, a move decried by humanitarian aid agencies.

What People Are Saying

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said on Saturday that “Israel conveyed to the mediators a counter-proposal in full coordination with the U.S.”

What Happens Next

It remains to be seen whether both sides will agree to the same ceasefire proposal, and pressing questions remain about whether Hamas and Israel will respect fresh agreements.