Hamas says it has agreed to a new Gaza ceasefire proposal as mediators from Qatar and Egypt push to renew talks ahead of a major Israeli assault on Gaza City. In a statement, Hamas said it had accepted the new proposal presented on Sunday by Qatar and Egypt. Basem Naim, a senior member of Hamas’ political bureau, said on social media, “The movement has accepted the new proposal from the mediators. We pray that God extinguishes the fires of this war on our people.”
Two Israeli officials told CNN that Israel had received the Hamas response from mediators. One of the Israeli officials said that the government’s position had not changed, which includes calling for the release of all the hostages, the disarmament of Hamas, and Israeli security control of the besieged territory.
The proposal marks a renewed effort from mediators to restart negotiations that fell apart in July, extinguishing what had been the best hopes to stop the fighting in months. It also dashed chances of an imminent end to the war, and Israel’s security cabinet recently voted to escalate the conflict and occupy Gaza City.
CNN International anchor Becky Anderson reports from Cairo. #CNN #News