Hamas Receives Israel's Response to Ceasefire Proposal, Negotiations Remain Deadlocked
Hamas received Israel's response to its latest ceasefire proposal and will study it before responding.
The negotiations to end the six-month conflict between Hamas and Israel have been deadlocked, with Hamas insisting any agreement must end the war.
An Egyptian delegation met with Israeli officials to discuss a way to restart talks and return remaining hostages taken during the conflict.
An anonymous Israeli official stated that Israel has no new proposals to offer in the ongoing crisis with Hamas, but is open to a limited truce for the release of 33 hostages instead of the previously discussed 40.
The US and 17 other countries called on Hamas to release all hostages as a way to resolve the crisis.
Hamas has refused to yield to international pressure but expressed openness to new ideas.
However, they maintain their key demands, which Israel has rejected, and criticized the US-led statement for not calling for a permanent ceasefire and Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan sees renewed momentum in talks to end the war and free the remaining hostages.
Israel is reportedly giving one last chance to Egyptian mediators to broker a hostage deal with Hamas before launching an invasion of Rafah, a city in the Gaza Strip where around a million Palestinians have sought refuge.
The deadline comes after Hamas militants stormed into Israeli towns on October 7, resulting in the deaths of over 1,200 people and the capture of 253 hostages.
Meanwhile, in Rafah, an Israeli air strike on a house killed at least five people and wounded others.
Israel has vowed to eliminate Hamas, resulting in over 34,000 Palestinian deaths during the ongoing conflict.