Posted on 08/18/25
| News Source: JPost
Hamas told Egyptian and Qatari mediators that they agreed to the latest Gaza hostage-ceasefire proposal, a source familiar with the details told The Jerusalem Post on Monday.
The proposal would see the release of ten living Israeli hostages in return for a 60-day ceasefire, and the release of 150 terrorists serving life sentences.
The source told the Post that the proposal will be presented to Israel already on Monday.
The proposal on the table would also see Israel suspend military operations in the Gaza Strip for 60 days, and could be seen as a path to reach a comprehensive deal to end the war, an Egyptian official told Reuters.
Axios reported that Hamas's response "aligns 98 percent" with the proposal by US President Donald Trump's envoy, Steve Witkoff, which Israel had previously agreed to.
Earlier, reports emerged that the meeting between Qatar's Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim bin Jaber Al Thani, Palestinian factions, the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence, and Hamas representatives "was positive," Qatari Al-Araby TV reported on Monday.
The meeting also "demonstrated a heightened sense of responsibility and determination to end the war," Al-Araby TV continued.
Qatar's prime minister arrived in Egypt to meet with mediators regarding a potential hostage deal on Monday, sources familiar with the details told the Post.
Hamas received an updated ceasefire proposal from Egypt and Qatar during a meeting attended also by representatives from several Palestinian factions, Al-Araby TV reported.
According to Saudi-based Al-Arabiya, the Palestinian factions have allegedly agreed to the new proposal, while the Hamas delegation requested time to discuss.
The updated proposal is reportedly a framework agreement with amendments to Hamas's recent response, including a staged release of the remaining hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Al-Arabiya also claimed that Egypt has asked that Hamas's delegation remain in Cairo until an agreement is reached, giving them a deadline of a few hours to come to a decision.
On Saturday night, the Prime Minister's Office stated that Israel would only accept a comprehensive deal that secures the release of all hostages at once.
This statement came amid renewed reports of Hamas' flexibility on a phased ceasefire-hostage agreement.
“The Prime Minister’s Office clarifies that Israel will agree to a deal on condition that all the hostages are released in one go, and in accordance with our conditions for ending the war, which include the disarming of Hamas, the demilitarization of the Gaza Strip, Israeli control of the Gaza perimeter, and the installation of non-Hamas and non-Palestinian Authority governance that will live in peace with Israel,” the statement read.