Hamas Accepts Cease-fire Proposal For Gaza War

Hamas on Monday agreed to a proposal for a cease-fire in the war in Gaza, a senior leader of the group told HuffPost.

Basem Naim, the chief of Hamas’ political and foreign relations department and a member of its Gaza bureau, said it was “early” to reveal terms of the plan.

According to The Associated Press and Reuters, the Palestinian militant group accepted ideas proposed by Qatar and Egypt amid intensive negotiations that involved the U.S. The fate of the bargain now depends on whether Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agrees to a deal, which would likely involve the release of Israeli hostages captured by Hamas and its allies in the Oct. 7 attack that began the war and an extended halt of Israeli bombing in Gaza and the withdrawal of some Israeli forces.

Netanyahu has long said he will not end his campaign for good until Israeli forces control all of Gaza, including the southern town of Rafah, where 1.5 million Palestinians are sheltering and remaining Hamas battalions operate. But Hamas has said it can only accept a settlement that involves a lasting end to the fighting.After news broke of Hamas’ acceptance to terms from Qatar and Egypt, Israeli sources told the Israeli broadcaster Kann and Channel 12 the country did not see the potential deal as serious.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.

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