Hamas has informed mediators of their approval of the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal and is set to resume talks to discuss ending Israel's war on Gaza, which has now killed more than 62,000 Palestinians and threatens further mass displacement amid spiralling starvation, reports Al Jazeera on Monday.
"Hamas, along with the Palestinian factions, relayed their acceptance of the proposal put forward yesterday by the Qatari and Egyptian mediators," Hamas said in a brief statement on Monday.
The Times of Israel and Channel 12 reported that Israel received Hamas's response.
The proposal included a temporary cessation of military operations for 60 days, during which the Israeli army would relocate to allow the entry of humanitarian aid, a source familiar with the talks told Al Jazeera.
Half of the 50 Israeli captives would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners within the same timeframe.
The Hamas announcement followed talks between Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Cairo.
Lackluster negotiations
Efforts by Qatar and Egypt to rekindle negotiations have been unsuccessful in securing a lasting ceasefire in the war so far.
A truce brokered by Qatari, Egyptian and US mediators that came into force in January was unilaterally broken by Israel in March.
Since then, its blockade of aid supplies has caused famine and starvation. More than 260 Palestinians have died due to the Israeli-induced starvation crisis.
The latest round of indirect negotiations between Israel and Hamas, facilitated in Doha by mediators, lasted for several weeks before ending on July 25 without any results.
Judging by the failed trajectory of past talks, the announcement does not necessarily mean an end to the war is imminent.
Over the past two years, Hamas has accepted proposals for a ceasefire, only for Israel to reject them, favouring the continuation of the war.
The major point of contention has been the duration of the ceasefire.
Hamas wants a permanent end to the war, whereas Israel has been seeking a temporary truce that would allow it to resume its destruction campaign in Gaza after its captives in the territory are released.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he spoke with the defence minister and the chief of staff about plans for Gaza City, "and the completion of our missions".
They concluded that "Hamas is under atomic pressure", he said.
Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz said Hamas was "willing to discuss a deal for the release of hostages, only because of its fear that we seriously intend to conquer Gaza City."
'Genocides don't end through negotiated solutions'
Commenting on the Qatari prime minister's trip to Egypt, Abdullah Al-Arian, an associate professor of history at Georgetown University in Qatar, said it was important to remember that similar negotiations have occurred before, but it is "a lack of Israeli political will" that has ultimately stalled them.
Israel "has continued to pursue this genocide and taking it to new, horrific, unprecedented levels", he told Al Jazeera, adding that there has been a lack of international pressure to secure a ceasefire.
"Historically, genocides don't end through negotiated solutions. … They end usually because the party that committed the genocide is forced to end it, usually through external pressure, external intervention of some kind, and that has not happened yet," the academic stressed.
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