CAIRO — Hamas officials announced on Sunday that they are awaiting Israel’s response to their cease-fire proposal, five days after accepting a key part of a U.S. plan aimed at ending the nine-month-old war in Gaza.
“We have left our response with the mediators and are waiting to hear the occupation’s response,” one Hamas official told Reuters, requesting anonymity.
The three-phase plan, introduced by U.S. President Joe Biden in late May and mediated by Qatar and Egypt, seeks to end the conflict and secure the release of approximately 120 Israeli hostages held by Hamas.
A Palestinian official with knowledge of the deliberations indicated that Israel is discussing Hamas’ response with Qatari mediators and is expected to provide an answer within days.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu confirmed ongoing negotiations but did not specify a timeline.
Hamas, which controls Gaza, has agreed to negotiate a permanent cease-fire during the initial six-week phase, a significant shift from their earlier demand for Israel’s commitment to an immediate cease-fire before signing any agreement.
A Palestinian official close to the peace efforts suggested that the proposal could lead to a framework agreement if accepted by Israel, potentially ending the conflict.
CIA Director William Burns is expected to travel to Qatar this week for further negotiations.
The conflict, ignited on October 7 by a Hamas-led assault on southern Israel that killed 1,200 people and took around 250 hostages, has resulted in over 38,000 Palestinian deaths due to Israel’s military response, according to Gaza health officials. The coastal enclave has been severely devastated.
UNRWA described the situation as increasingly tragic, highlighting forced displacement, destruction, and a lack of essential supplies in Gaza.
Protests in Israel
On Sunday, protests erupted across Israel, with demonstrators urging the government to secure the release of hostages still held in Gaza. Protesters blocked major intersections, picketed politicians’ homes, and briefly set fire to tires on the Tel Aviv-Jerusalem highway before being dispersed by police.
Simultaneously, fighting persisted in Gaza, and northern Israel faced rocket attacks from Hezbollah in Lebanon. Air raid sirens were triggered in 24 Israeli towns, injuring one person. Hezbollah claimed responsibility for firing rockets at an Israeli army base.
In Gaza, health officials reported at least 15 Palestinian deaths from Israeli military strikes on Sunday. An Israeli air strike on a house in Zawayda killed six people, while another strike in western Gaza claimed six more lives. In Rafah, tanks intensified raids, and health officials recovered three bodies from the city’s eastern area.
The Israeli military stated that its forces had killed 30 Palestinian gunmen in Rafah through close combat and air strikes in the past day. In Shejaia, an eastern suburb of Gaza City, Israeli forces reported killing several Palestinian gunmen and discovering weapons and explosives.
The armed wings of Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for attacking Israeli forces across the Gaza Strip with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs.
