Washington: Israel has accepted a new US proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday.
“I can confirm that special envoy (Steve) Witkoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas that Israel backed and supported,” White House press Karoline Leavitt told reporters.
But Leavitt said talks were ongoing and Hamas had not yet accepted terms of the proposal.
Witkoff on Wednesday said the US administration was close to presenting a new proposal.
Witkoff has not made public what the latest proposal contains but a Hamas official and an Egyptian official independently confirmed some of the details.
They say it calls for a 60-day pause in fighting, guarantees of serious negotiations leading to a long-term truce and assurances that Israel will not resume hostilities after the release of hostages, as it did in March when the previous ceasefire collapsed.
Hamas would release 10 living hostages and a number of bodies during the 60-day pause in exchange for more than 1,100 Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, including 100 serving long sentences after being convicted of deadly attacks.
Each day, hundreds of trucks carrying food and humanitarian aid would be allowed to enter Gaza, where experts say a nearly three-month Israeli blockade has pushed much of the population to the brink of famine.