A new proposal from Israel for a cease-fire in Gaza
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayva said the Palestinian militant group was evaluating Israel's proposal, and "upon completion of its study, it will submit its response."
According to the Associated Press, he gave no further details of Israel's offer but said it was in response to a proposal from Hamas two weeks ago.
Hamas' statement came hours after a high-level Egyptian delegation wrapped up a visit to Israel where it discussed a "new vision" for a prolonged cease-fire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the developments.
It was not immediately clear whether Israel's latest response to Hamas on a cease-fire was directly related to the Egyptian mediator's visit to Tel Aviv on Friday.
The discussions between Egyptian and Israeli officials focused on the first stage of a multi-phase plan that would include a limited exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners, and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza "with minimum restrictions," the Egyptian official said.
The mediators are actively working on a compromise to address the main demands of both parties, which could set the stage for further negotiations towards a comprehensive deal to bring an end to the conflict, an official disclosed.
During a World Economic Forum gathering in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia next week, Egypt's foreign minister is anticipated to provide updates to international officials, as reported by Reuters.
Børge Brende, the WEF's president, mentioned in a press briefing on Saturday that the update will form part of the discussions between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and various international figures, with the objective of advancing towards a peace agreement in Gaza.
"With the key stakeholders now gathered in Riyadh, we are hopeful that these conversations can pave the way for a path towards reconciliation and peace," Brende remarked, emphasizing that addressing Gaza's humanitarian crisis will be a focal point of the WEF's session.
The upcoming meetings will be attended by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, along with regional dignitaries such as Qatar's prime minister, Saudi Arabia's foreign minister, Oman's crown prince, and officials from Bahrain, Brende confirmed.
"There is currently a positive momentum building around negotiations regarding the hostages and the potential for a cease-fire," Brende noted.
As the conflict persists and casualties rise, international pressure has been mounting on both Hamas and Israel to reach a consensus on a cease-fire, in order to prevent a potential Israeli offensive on Rafah, where over half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents have sought shelter after fleeing conflict zones within the region.
Israel has been insisting for months it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where it says many remaining Hamas militants are holed up, despite calls for restraint from the international community including Israel's staunchest ally, the United States.
Egypt has cautioned an offensive into Rafah could have "catastrophic consequences" on the humanitarian situation in Gaza, as well as on regional peace and security.
The Israeli military has massed dozens of tanks and armored vehicles in southern Israel close to Rafah and hit targets in the city in near-daily airstrikes.
Early Saturday, an Israeli airstrike hit a house in Rafah's Tel Sultan neighborhood, killing six people, including four children, according to officials at a local hospital.
The strike killed a man, his wife and their three sons, aged 12, 10 and 8, according to records of the Abu Yousef al-Najjar hospital's morgue. A neighbor's four-month-old girl was also killed, the records showed.
Five people were also killed in the Nuseirat refugee camp in central Gaza overnight when an Israeli strike hit a house, according to officials at the al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital.
Elsewhere, Israeli forces shot and killed two Palestinian men in an exchange of fire at a checkpoint in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, the military said.
Violence in the West Bank has flared since the war started. Since then, 491 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the territory according to the Ramallah-based Health Ministry,
In a recent incident, the Israeli army reported that two men were fatally shot after they initiated gunfire from a vehicle at Israeli soldiers stationed at Salem checkpoint near the Palestinian city of Jenin.
The United States has expressed disapproval of Israeli practices in the West Bank. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is scheduled to visit Israel on Tuesday, recently concluded that an army unit had committed human rights violations in the region before the conflict in Gaza. Read more
However, Blinken mentioned in a letter to House Speaker Mike Johnson, which was obtained by CBS News, that he is delaying a decision on halting aid to the unit to allow Israel time to address the misconduct.
The situation arises as Blinken contemplates whether to propose the suspension of U.S. aid to the unit under the Leahy Law, a federal regulation that prohibits the provision of weapons or military assistance funds to groups with credible allegations of human rights violations. Learn more
According to a source familiar with the letter, Johnson had requested assurances from Blinken before considering a long-pending foreign aid package for a vote in the House. Blinken's letter reached Johnson on the same day the vote was scheduled to occur.
In an effort to provide aid to Gaza, the U.S. has been constructing a pier to facilitate the delivery of supplies through a new port. An official mentioned last week that the project is on schedule to commence operations by early May.
Emphasizing that there will be no American military presence on the ground for this mission, the Biden administration revealed that the British government is contemplating the deployment of troops to drive trucks carrying aid to the shore. This information was reported on Saturday, citing undisclosed government sources. British officials have chosen not to comment on this development.
The conflict was instigated by Hamas with an incursion into southern Israel on Oct. 7, resulting in the deaths of approximately 1,200 individuals, predominantly civilians, and the capture of around 250 hostages. Israel asserts that the militants continue to detain about 100 hostages and the remains of over 30 others.
Subsequently, over 34,000 Palestinians have lost their lives in Israel's aerial and ground offensive, as reported by the Health Ministry in Gaza under Hamas control. Alarmingly, around two-thirds of the casualties are children and women.
