Hamas says it has delivered a “positive response” to mediators on the latest proposal for a new Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal put forward by the US, the BBC reports.
It added in a statement that it was “seriously ready to enter immediately into a round of negotiations”. It has not confirmed if it will accept the proposals yet.
Earlier on Friday Donald Trump said he expected a Hamas response within a day.
He said earlier this week that Israel had accepted the conditions necessary for a 60-day ceasefire, during which the parties would work to end the 20-month war.
The proposal is believed to include the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.
Fifty hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.
One of Hamas’s key demands is the resumption of unrestricted food and medical aid into Gaza, and the proposal reportedly says sufficient quantities would enter the territory immediately with the involvement of the United Nations and Red Cross.
It is said the plan would also include a phased Israeli military withdrawal from parts of Gaza.
Above all, Hamas wants a guarantee that Israeli air and ground operations will not resume after the end of the 60-day ceasefire.
The proposal is believed to say that negotiations on an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages would begin on day one.
