Hamas has agreed to an Egyptian-Qatari proposal for a 60-day Gaza truce and the initial release of 10 Israeli hostages, sources told The National on Monday.
They said Hamas told Qatari and Egyptian mediators that it has dropped its condition for a written US guarantee that negotiations with Israel on a complete withdrawal from Gaza and a long-term ceasefire continue until an agreement is reached.
Hamas also agreed to hand over the remains of 18 hostages who died while in captivity, the sources added.
The group has agreed to lay down and store its weapons under international supervision. It has also agreed to the deployment of an Arab force in Gaza under UN supervision to maintain security in the enclave.
The group's position comes after a senior regional official involved in the peace talks told The National on Monday that a “positive announcement” regarding a Gaza ceasefire could come soon.
“There might be a positive announcement later, but we’re still working on it,” the official said, though the details were not specified.
He added that a visit by Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman to Egypt was aimed at "pushing the talks forward".
A Qatari statement said Sheikh Mohammed and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El Sisi discussed their countries' "mediation efforts to reach an agreement in Gaza to end the war and the suffering of the Palestinians and ensure the protection of civilians and the exchange of prisoners and hostages".
It was not immediately clear whether Israel would agree to the proposal. It has stated repeatedly in recent days that Hamas must surrender its arms and its leaders must leave Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said only that Hamas's willingness to talk showed it was under "immense pressure", as Israeli troops prepare to capture Gaza city in a new offensive.
Mr Netanyahu said he spoke to Defence Minister Israel Katz and the army's chief of staff about plans to occupy Gaza city. "Like you, I hear the reports in the media, and from them, you can gather one thing – Hamas is under immense pressure," he said.
Diaa Rashwan, the head of Egypt's State Information Service, said Egypt and Qatar had submitted the new proposal to Israel and that "the ball is now in its court".
New proposal
Just as the negotiations were gaining new momentum, US President Donald Trump insisted Hamas must be destroyed before a comprehensive deal could take shape.
"We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed. The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be," he said in a post on his Truth Social platform.
A Hamas delegation has been in Cairo since last week for discussions. On Sunday, sources told The National that Egyptian and Qatari mediators revived the proposal for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 hostages, in a last-minute bid to avert an Israeli ground assault on Gaza city.
The plan includes a written US guarantee that indirect negotiations between Hamas and Israel on troop withdrawal from Gaza and a long-term truce would begin during the pause and continue until an agreement is reached.
“The Qataris and Egyptians have presented Israel and the United States with the plan and are now waiting for their response,” one source said. “Falling back on the old plan for a partial, rather than a comprehensive, deal is designed to head off Israel's assault on Gaza.”
The sources said the plan provided for the release of 10 hostages, as well as the remains of at least 15 who have died in captivity, in exchange for hundreds of Palestinians held in Israeli jails being freed. An estimated 50 hostages are still held by Hamas, with 20 believed to be alive.
The latest proposal includes the flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where dozens have died of starvation or hunger-related disease. The plan also involves Israeli troops moving away from populated areas.
The sources would not speculate on how Israel may respond to the proposal, which is based largely on a previous plan floated by Mr Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff.
Meanwhile, Egypt confirmed it was willing to join a potential international force in Gaza, but only if it was backed by a UN Security Council resolution and accompanied by a "political horizon".
"We are standing ready, of course, to help, to contribute to any international force to be deployed in Gaza in some specific parameters," Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told a joint press conference with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa at the Rafah border crossing.
Expansion of war
News of the proposal broke as Israel prepares to send troops into Gaza city, where about one million people have sought shelter from the war.
Preparations for the offensive have been made as Israel says its war on Gaza will continue until Hamas is defeated. Israel also wants a civilian administration in place in the enclave, without the involvement of the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority or Hamas. Israel has also insisted on retaining an overall security role in Gaza.
The Israeli army announced late on Saturday that it was preparing to move Palestinians before the offensive to capture Gaza city, where more than a million people are sheltering. The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza, Cogat, said the supply of tents to the territory would resume on Sunday.
Amjad Al Shawa, head of the Palestinian NGOs Network in Gaza, said the UN had not received any Israeli orders to remove its staff to the south, nor has it instructed its employees to leave Gaza city. “UN institutions are currently working to strengthen their presence in Gaza city and do not intend to evacuate under the current circumstances," he said.
Some Palestinians told The National they prefer to face the dangers of Israeli bombardment than to be trapped in what they described as the nightmare of displacement.
Aya Al Shandaghli, 26, still carries the trauma of the first forced displacement in May 2024. “I lost weight, my skin was burnt and I fell sick several times. We lived in tents in Al Mawasi for almost eight months. They were the worst and hardest days of my life,” she said.
When a truce allowed her family to return to their home in Gaza city in January, she vowed never to leave again. “I told my family that I will not leave our home, even if they bomb it over our heads," she said. "Displacement destroys you from the inside. Nothing in this world can make up for those harsh days.”
Others say that even if they wanted to leave, there is nowhere to go, with much of Rafah, Khan Younis and central Gaza destroyed. “Now everything is ruins. There is nowhere left to be displaced to,” said Musab Al Ghoul, who lives in Sheikh Radwan.
