TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Palestinian resistance group Hamas, on Monday, confirmed its acceptance of a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, which was submitted yesterday by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, as reported by Egyptian media cited by Anadolu.
“Hamas, along with the Palestinian factions, relayed their acceptance of the proposal put forward yesterday by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators,” the statement said, as quoted from Al Jazeera on Tuesday, August 19, 2025.
Hamas senior official Basem Naim confirmed the group's approval on Facebook, as reported by Al Arabiya.
The state-run news channel Al-Qahera News, citing unnamed Egyptian sources, said the plan called for Israeli forces to reposition themselves near the border to facilitate the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The proposal includes a temporary cessation of military operations for two months, during which prisoner-hostage exchanges will take place, according to the report. The agreement includes the release of 10 live Israeli hostages and the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.
The sources said Hamas sees the plan as the best available option to protect the people of Gaza from military escalation and as a potential first step towards a permanent resolution.
The agreement also provides for the delivery of humanitarian aid in the required amounts to meet all the needs of the population, the source added.
The transfer of hostages will be carried out in two stages, and the Palestinian movement will also transfer the bodies of the captives, according to Al Jazeera.
A source familiar with the negotiations said the proposed agreement is very similar to a previous plan put forward by U.S. special envoy Steve Witkoff, which has been accepted by Israel.
The mediators met with Hamas representatives in Cairo on Sunday. Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, the Prime Minister of Qatar, joined the discussion on Monday and met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Hamas representatives, said an official briefed on the meeting.
There has been no response from Israel to the Hamas proposal, but an Israeli official confirmed that the proposal has been accepted. Egypt and Qatar have been mediating between the two sides with the support of the U.S.
Israel approved a plan to seize the city of Gaza earlier this month, but officials said it could take weeks to begin, opening the possibility of a ceasefire, although Netanyahu has said that it will start "fairly quickly" and end the war with the defeat of Hamas.
Gaza Occupation
Israel's plan to seize the city of Gaza in the heart of the Palestinian enclave has raised concerns both overseas and at home, where the largest Israeli protest since the genocide began took place on Sunday. They called for an end to the fighting and the release of the remaining 50 hostages in Gaza since Hamas' attack on October 7, 2023.
Israeli officials believe 20 are still alive.
Thousands of Palestinians, fearing an impending Israeli ground attack, have fled their homes in the eastern part of Gaza City, which is now constantly bombarded by Israel, towards points in the west and south of the devastated area.
In a show of force on Monday, Israeli tanks advanced to the outskirts of Sabra City in Gaza, according to eyewitnesses who counted the presence of at least nine tanks and bulldozers.
Israeli Army Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Eyal Zamir said his country was at a turning point in the Gaza war, “with its focus on enhancing the strikes against Hamas in Gaza City,” the military spokesperson said in a statement.
In a video released by his office, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said: “I, like you, hear the reports in the media, and from them you can get one impression—Hamas is under immense pressure.”
Ceasefire Negotiations
The last round of indirect ceasefire negotiations ended in a deadlock at the end of July, with both sides blaming each other for the failure.
Israel has stated that it would agree to halt hostilities if all hostages are released and Hamas lays down its arms—a final demand openly rejected by Hamas until a Palestinian state is established.
A Hamas official said the previous Monday that the group rejected Israel's demand to disarm or expel its leaders from Gaza.
Sharp dissension also appears to remain over the extent of Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and how humanitarian aid will be delivered to the surrounding areas of the enclave, where malnutrition is rife due to Israel's crippling blockade and aid groups warn of widespread famine.
U.S. President Donald Trump wrote on his social media platform on Monday: “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be.”
Israel's genocide began when Hamas-led fighters stormed the border into southern Israel, taking 251 hostages into Gaza and killing at least 1,200 people according to Israeli military figures.
Meanwhile, Israel has killed over 62,000 Palestinians in air and ground offensives in Gaza, according to local health officials, the majority of whom are women and children.
Five other Palestinians died from malnutrition and starvation in the past 24 hours, the Gaza Health Ministry revealed on Monday, bringing the death toll to 263, including 112 children, since October 2023.
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