Lebanese report: Israel agrees in principle to proposal for hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas

A Lebanese outlet affiliated with Hezbollah reports that Israel has agreed in principle to a draft proposal for a ceasefire-hostage agreement.

The report cites an unnamed Palestinian official as its source.

There is no confirmation of the report from Israel.

According to Al-Mayadeen, the proposal includes a ceasefire lasting approximately 70 days, during which 10 hostages – five alive and five deceased – would be released in two phases, in an apparent updated version of the so-called Witkoff outline.

The draft also stipulates that negotiations on ending the war would occur during the ceasefire period.

The Al-Mayadeen report adds that the latest discussions, mediated by US President Donald Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff and Palestinian-American businessman Bishara Bahbah, concluded early this morning. It does not say where those talks were held or who they involved.

Witkoff and Bahbah brokered the talks that led to the release of US-Israeli hostage Edan Alexander earlier this month.

According to the report, which implies that at least some aspects of the proposal or amendments were from Hamas, some modifications to the draft may still be made, and parties are now awaiting Israel’s official response.

Terror groups in the Gaza Strip are holding 58 hostages — 57 of the 251 abducted by Hamas-led terrorists on October 7, 2023.

They include the bodies of at least 35 confirmed dead by the IDF, and 20 are believed to be alive. There are grave concerns for the well-being of three others, Israeli officials have said. The body of an IDF soldier killed in Gaza in 2014 is also being held.