Hamas says discussing Gaza ceasefire proposals from mediators

GAZA CITY, PALESTINIAN TERRITORIES - Palestinian militant group Hamas said Wednesday it was discussing proposals from mediators for a ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, after US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to a 60-day truce.

Hamas said in a statement it was "conducting national consultations to discuss what we received from the proposals of the... mediators".

It said it sought "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israel from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip".

Qatar and Egypt have been mediating efforts to end the conflict that erupted in October 2023, when a deadly Hamas attack on Israel prompted a devastating Israeli offensive against the group.

A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP: "There are no fundamental changes in the new proposal" under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.

The source said the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the (22) living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".

Another source with knowledge of the discussions told AFP that the system of aid deliveries to Gaza "presents a major obstacle, as under the current mechanism, large segments of our people are deprived of access to food".

The United Nations and international aid groups have criticised the aid distribution system run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

GHF, a US- and Israeli-backed body, has been giving out meals in Gaza since May when Israel partially eased a two-month blockade following warnings of famine.

GHF has distanced itself from repeated reports of aid seekers being killed near its centres.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas's 2023 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.