Hamas, the militant group that occupies Gaza, announced on Sunday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal from mediators trying to end over a year of fighting with Israel. However, the announcement from Hamas did not specify the terms of the proposed deal.
Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, told Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammad bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and the Egyptian intelligence chief Abbas Kamel that the group accepts their terms for a ceasefire, according to an official statement from Hamas.
A senior Hamas official also told the Al Jazeera news channel that the group has accepted the ceasefire proposal from the mediators.
Israel has repeatedly stated it will not agree to a deal releasing hostages held by Hamas in exchange for an end to the fighting, which is a key demand from Hamas. On Saturday, an official Israeli source, believed to be Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, said Israel had not empowered the mediators to issue guarantees about ending the war.
The United States, Egypt, and Qatar have been negotiating with Hamas in recent days over a three-phase ceasefire proposal that Israel has green-lit, according to reports. The full details of the proposal have not been made public.
However, reports indicate the first phase would provide for the release of 33 hostages held by Hamas – women, children, elderly, and sick people – during an initial 40-day truce period. In exchange, Israel would release hundreds of Palestinian security prisoners.
The reported proposal states that indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas would begin again on the 16th day of that 40-day truce period to work out arrangements for restoring sustained calm in Gaza in the second and third phases.
In the second 42-day phase, Hamas would release all remaining live hostages in exchange for hundreds more Palestinian prisoner releases and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
The third and final 42-day phase would require Hamas to hand over the remains of people killed on October 7 or who died in captivity, in exchange for the remains of Palestinian security prisoners who died in Israeli custody.
The rehabilitation of Gaza’s infrastructure would begin in the first phase, with the restoration of roads, electricity, water, sanitation, and communications systems. Preparations for a broader five-year reconstruction plan would take place in the second phase. Actual construction on homes and civilian infrastructure would start in the third phase.
Israel has not officially commented on the contents of the reported proposal. But it has insisted any hostages must be released without conditions before progress on other issues.
Hamas has controlled Gaza since taking over the coastal strip in 2007. Israel and Hamas have fought several wars over the years, with the latest round of fighting beginning in August 2022 after a string of attacks in Israel and Palestinian militants firing rockets into Israel.