Hamas said it had accepted a proposal for a new ceasefire that would allow the release of some hostages held in Gaza. But details were unclear.
Israel and Hamas signaled over the weekend that efforts were underway to restore a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, less than two weeks after a temporary truce collapsed and Israel resumed air and ground operations against the militant group in the enclave.
Hamas said Saturday it had accepted an offer for a new cease-fire that would see some hostages released from captivity in Gaza. Israel said it had also received the offer through third-party intermediaries and responded with a counter-offer in coordination with the United States.
“Military pressure is producing results,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Sunday in a speech at the start of his weekly cabinet meeting, adding that Israel “suddenly saw cracks” in Hamas' position.
More than 900 people have been killed since Israel renewed attacks on the Gaza Strip on March 18, the enclave's Health Ministry said on Saturday. The ministry did not differentiate between civilians and combatants.
Neither side released details of the proposal or counter-proposal, but an official briefed on the talks suggested they broadly echoed previous proposals made in recent weeks. While there was no indication that a breakthrough was imminent, public statements suggested that after weeks of fruitless talks, contacts on a deal were continuing even as the war continued.
The Palestinian Red Crescent Society said on Sunday it had found the bodies of eight emergency medical technicians, five civil defense workers and a United Nations worker in Rafah, southern Gaza. The medical organization said it had lost contact with nine of its team members more than a week ago after they came under direct fire from Israeli forces. The Israeli military did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
