Hamas has agreed to a temporary ceasefire offer from Israel, according to a Hamas official who spoke to The Hill.
There are growing concerns that Israel might invade Rafah, a southern city in Gaza where around a million Gazans are seeking shelter.
Dr. Basem Naim, the head of political and international relations for Hamas, confirmed to The Hill that Hamas had informed Egyptian and Qatari mediators of its acceptance of the ceasefire proposal.
The U.S., Egypt, and Qatar have been actively involved in discussions for weeks to propose a truce between Israel and Hamas.
Israel has not responded immediately to a request for comment. The Biden administration has stated that the delay in negotiations is solely due to Hamas, suggesting that Israel has agreed to the ceasefire terms.
State Department spokesperson Mathew Miller told reporters on Monday that the U.S. had received Hamas's response and was currently reviewing it.
“We are currently reviewing it and discussing it with partners in the region. So I won't characterize the nature of that response just yet,” he stated.
The full details of the ceasefire proposal by the mediators have not been made public.
However, the general outline of the agreement includes a six-to-eight week cessation of fighting, during which Hamas would release Israeli hostages it has held since their abduction from Israel on Oct 7. The hostages would be released gradually, with the most vulnerable of the 133 individuals believed to be in Gaza being released first.
In return, Israel is expected to release a certain number of Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails, withdraw its troops from specific areas in the Gaza Strip, and allow Gazans to travel from the southern part of the territory to the northern part.
The temporary halt in fighting is also anticipated to facilitate a large amount of humanitarian aid into the Strip, where more than one million Palestinians have been displaced due to the conflict, tens of thousands have been injured in war, and there is widespread hunger and disease.
Updated: 2:03 p.m.
