MNN (Web Desk); Qatar has confirmed that Hamas has given a positive response to a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, which includes a 60-day truce, a prisoner-captive exchange, and an increase in humanitarian aid to the besieged enclave.
The deal, mediated by Qatar and Egypt, is seen as one of the most significant attempts in recent weeks to halt the ongoing war. Israel, however, has not yet issued an official response.
According to Majed al-Ansari, spokesperson for Qatar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the proposal is “almost identical” to one tabled earlier this year by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff. Al Jazeera reports that the plan envisions Israeli forces repositioning within Gaza, while mediators facilitate the exchange of Palestinian prisoners for Israeli captives. The exact differences between this version and the earlier proposal that collapsed remain unclear.
While Hamas has accepted the framework, Israeli media citing senior officials suggest that the government in Tel Aviv is dissatisfied with a partial exchange and is demanding the release of all 50 captives still believed to be held in Gaza as part of any truce.
Egypt has urged the international community to pressure Israel to accept the deal, while the United States said it is continuing discussions.
On the ground, the humanitarian toll continues to rise. At least 60 Palestinians were killed across Gaza in the past 24 hours, according to health officials cited by Al Jazeera.
Israeli airstrikes struck tents housing displaced people in Khan Younis, killing at least eight, while another attack in Deir el-Balah killed four. Israeli forces are also targeting the Jabalia area in northern Gaza, intensifying the suffering of civilians who have already been forced from their homes multiple times.
In southern Gaza, displaced Palestinians expressed mixed feelings about the ceasefire efforts. “Every time the occupation is obstinate and rejects proposals, I expect the same for this one,” said Abdallah al-Khawaja, sheltering in Khan Younis. Others, such as Awad Labde, voiced hope: “As a bereaved and displaced person, I expect a positive response from Israel.”
Meanwhile, violence is escalating in the occupied West Bank. The Wafa news agency reported that Israeli soldiers arrested 21-year-old Tariq Ismat Hashma, a university student from Tulkarem, after stopping his car at the Anab checkpoint.
Settler activity also intensified, with Israeli settlers establishing a new illegal outpost near Aqraba town, south of Nablus. Local activist Yousef Deiriyeh told Wafa that tents and caravans had been erected and Israeli flags raised on Mount Qarqafa. Settlers further attacked a Palestinian father and his son in Hebron, leaving both injured.
Diplomatic tensions are also mounting in Europe. France strongly condemned Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusations that antisemitism is “surging” in France following President Emmanuel Macron’s decision to recognise a Palestinian state. The French presidency dismissed Netanyahu’s remarks as “abject” and “erroneous,” stressing that France “will always protect its Jewish citizens.”
Since the war began in October 2023, Gaza’s Government Media Office reports that over 62,000Palestinians have been killed, including at least 18,885 children. Despite mounting casualties, a definitive ceasefire remains elusive, hinging now on Israel’s response to the latest Qatari-Egyptian initiative.
