Hamas agrees to Gaza truce deal proposed by Egypt, Qatar

Hamas said it has agreed to a deal proposed by Qatar and Egypt to pause the militant group’s war with Israel in Gaza, fuelling optimism that a long-awaited breakthrough in negotiations could be close.

The proposal would see Hamas release half of the hostages it still holds from the October 2023 attack on Israel that triggered the conflict, one diplomat briefed on the negotiations said, in return for the freeing of Palestinian prisoners and a partial withdrawal of Israeli troops.

The deal - which would pave the way to a more comprehensive agreement - is almost in line with one put forward by US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff in May, the diplomat said, without being more specific. It’s not clear whether Israel has received the proposal from Qatar and Egypt, the key mediators, nor whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government will agree to the terms or to a phased deal.

Talks to bring an end to nearly two years of fighting that’s devastated Gaza have regularly broken down in the past, often with one side or another saying they agreed to different versions of a ceasefire deal. Israel has repeatedly said Hamas must disarm and return all the remaining hostages for the war to end, while Hamas has previously insisted on a full Israeli withdrawal from the war-torn territory.

“I, like you, am hearing media reports and one thing is clearly evident: Hamas is under enormous pressure,” Netanyahu said Monday in a statement aimed at Israelis, without commenting on the fresh proposal.

More than 62,000 Palestinians have been killed in the war, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, while the United Nations has warned that half a million people in Gaza are on the brink of famine. Israel’s military campaign has devastated the Palestinian territory, displacing the vast majority of the population.

“Today, the resistance has thrown the door wide open to the possibility of reaching an agreement, but the real test remains whether Netanyahu will refrain from shutting it again, as he has done in the past,” Hamas official Mahmoud Mardawi said in a statement.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani travelled to Egypt to meet President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi on Monday, with discussions focusing on the importance of a truce and need to improve aid deliveries to Gaza’s 2 million-strong population, according to statements from both sides.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told Al Qahera TV a ceasefire agreement could be reached “very soon” providing that Israel has the political will and good intention.

The most recent round of negotiations ended last month when the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams from Qatar, with President Donald Trump’s administration saying Hamas wasn’t acting in good faith. Hamas is designated a terrorist organisation by Washington and many other governments.

Netanyahu responded to the collapse of July’s talks by authorising an advance on Gaza City, calling it the best option for recovering hostages while safeguarding his country’s long-term security. The plan was condemned by many foreign governments and has widespread opposition in Israel, where hundreds of thousands demonstrated on Sunday.

US Ambassador Mike Huckabee told Israel’s Army Radio on Monday that negotiations “have apparently started again,” perhaps because Hamas “heard that the Israelis are determined to go in very hard.” He reiterated the US position - in line with Israel’s - that Hamas has “no future in Gaza” and must be wound up as an armed, governing entity.

“I don’t know what their motivation is, other than maybe to delay things,” Huckabee said, referring to Hamas. “But we just have to keep the focus.”

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas “is willing to discuss a deal to release hostages - only because of their fear that we seriously intend to occupy Gaza City,” according to a statement from his office.

Trump posted on Truth Social Monday that “we will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed.” He didn’t make reference to ceasefire talks.

The Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 killed 1,200 people and saw about 250 abducted. Of those, 50 hostages are still in Gaza, with roughly 20 thought by Israel to be alive. Israel has lost more than 400 troops in Gaza combat.