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A charity distributes food in Gaza City. Photo: Hamza Z. H. Qraiqea/Anadolu via Getty
Hamas has accepted an updated proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza presented by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, two sources with knowledge of the talks tell Axios.
Why it matters: This is part of a last-ditch effort to reach a deal and avoid a major new Israeli offensive to occupy Gaza City. A diplomatic source said the deal Hamas accepted is "98% similar" to the last U.S.-backed proposal. Israel agreed to that proposal, but talks broke down when Hamas did not.
- Israeli officials said they still haven't received the written Hamas response and therefore cannot say whether they find it acceptable. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement: "I hear the reports in the media, and from them you can gather one thing — Hamas is under immense pressure."
- The second source said the proposal Hamas accepted is a partial deal for a 60-day ceasefire, the release of 10 live hostages, 18 deceased hostages and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
- The news comes just hours after President Trump urged Israel to expand its attacks on Hamas, saying the hostages would not be freed until Hamas was "confronted and destroyed."
State of play: Trump's comments aligned with Netanyahu's push for the occupation of Gaza City.
- They also came a day after more than 200,000 Israelis took to the streets to demand Netanyahu not launch a new offensive and instead sign a deal. It was the biggest such demonstration since the beginning of the war.
- The plan to expand the war has faced enormous opposition abroad because it would deepen the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and among Israel's top military commanders, who fear it will put the hostages in danger.
- But Trump has expressed tacit support, including during an interview with Axios last week.
What he's saying: "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. ... Play to WIN, or don't play at all!" Trump wrote on his Truth Social account.
Between the lines: Israel has been pummeling Hamas and nearly all of Gaza for nearly two years, and some Israeli security officials question the idea that scaling up the attacks will achieve what 21 months of war have not.
Zoom in: The Egyptian and Qatari mediators met Sunday in Cairo with Hamas representatives and presented them with new ideas for a Gaza hostage and ceasefire deal, according to a diplomatic source.
- The source familiar said that because the talks on Sunday did not yield sufficient progress, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani traveled to Egypt on Monday to meet Hamas negotiators.
- Hamas chief negotiator Khalil al-Haya gave the Qatari prime minister the group's updated response to the recent Gaza deal proposal during their meeting in Egypt, according to the diplomatic source.
- "The goal was to hold direct discussions with Hamas and the other Palestinian factions and to push the talks forward," the diplomatic source said.
- That meeting took place several days after the director of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency traveled to Doha to meet the Qatari prime minister to discuss the Gaza talks.
Zoom out: The proposal Egypt and Qatar gave Hamas on Sunday was based on the proposal White House envoy Steve Witkoff presented more than a month ago, with some modifications.
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