Hamas says terror group has ‘responded positively’ to Egyptian ceasefire proposal

By AP 24 March 2025, 11:09 am 13 Edit

Demonstrators demand the release of Israelis held hostage in the Gaza Strip, outside the Defense Ministry headquarters in Tel Aviv, March 23, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

A Hamas official tells The Associated Press that the terror group has “responded positively” to an Egyptian proposal to try to get the Gaza ceasefire-hostage deal back on track, without elaborating.

Hamas would release five living hostages, including an American-Israeli, in return for Israel allowing humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip and a weeks-long pause in the fighting, an Egyptian official says. Israel would also release hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Both officials speak on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief the media on the closed-door talks.

Times of Israel staff contributed to this report.