CAIRO (AP) — Hamas said Saturday it was reviewing a new Israeli proposal for a cease-fire in Gaza, as Egypt intensified efforts to broker a deal to end the months-long war and stave off a planned Israeli ground offensive into the southern city of Rafah.
Senior Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya gave no details of Israel’s offer, but said it was in response to a proposal from Hamas two weeks ago.
A separate Hamas statement said leaders from the three main militant groups active in Gaza discussed attempts to end the war. It didn’t mention the Israeli proposal.
The Hamas statements 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. It wasn’t immediately clear whether Israel’s new proposal was directly related to Friday’s visit by Egyptian mediators.
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 working on a compromise that will answer most of both parties’ main demands, which could pave the way to continued negotiations with the goal of a larger deal to end the war.
There is growing international pressure for Hamas and Israel to reach an agreement on a cease-fire and avert a possible Israeli attack on Rafah, where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million people have sought refuge after fleeing fighting elsewhere in the territory.
Israel has been insisting for months it plans a ground offensive into Rafah, on the border with Egypt, where it says many remaining Hamas terrorists 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, where famine is feared, as well as on regional peace and security.
President Joe Biden ordered the U.S. military in March to begin building a pier to deliver aid to Gaza through a new port. Israel’s military said Saturday that it would be operational by early May.
The BBC reported the U.K. government was considering deploying troops to drive the trucks to carry the aid to shore, citing unidentified government sources. British officials declined to comment on the report.
Another aid effort, a three-ship flotilla coming from Turkey, was prevented from sailing, organizers said.
Hamas said Friday that it was open to any “ideas or suggestions” that take into consideration Palestinians’ needs. It has said it won’t back down from demands for a permanent cease-fire and full withdrawal of Israeli troops. Israel has rejected both and said it will continue military operations until Hamas is defeated and that it will retain a security presence in Gaza.
Student protests over the war are growing on college campuses in the U.S., while demonstrations continue in many countries.
Hamas sparked the war by attacking into southern Israel on Oct. 7, with the terrorists killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Israel says Hamas still holds around 100 hostages and the remains of more than 30 others.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s offensive, according to the Health Ministry in Hamas-run Gaza, around two-thirds of them children and women. Its count doesn’t distinguish between civilians and combatants. The ministry said 32 people killed were brought to local hospitals over the past 24 hours.
Israel blames Hamas for civilian casualties, accusing it of embedding in residential areas.
