CNN
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Israel has accepted the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage release proposals, according to Israeli officials who said Wednesday that Israeli officials said Wednesday.
The confirmation comes after President Donald Trump said Tuesday that Israel “confirmed the necessary conditions” to confirm the Gaza ceasefire. It was not immediately clear whether Hamas would accept the terms.
Israeli Strategic Affairs Minister Ron Dahmer agreed to the proposal in Washington on Tuesday, prompting Trump’s social media post. And Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saa said on Wednesday at a press conference in Estonia that he was “serious about the hostage trade and willingness to reach a ceasefire.”
“There are some positive signs. I don’t want to say anything more now,” added Saa.
Two US administration officials said Hamas still had to agree to the deal. In a post about the True Society, Trump said that Catalis and the Egyptians would deliver it.
“My representative held a long and productive meeting with the Israelis in Gaza today,” Trump wrote. “Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to secure a 60-day ceasefire. During that time we will work with all political parties to end the war. Katalis and the Egyptians who have worked so hard to bring peace will provide this final proposal.”
Hamas said it is reviewing the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal but has not indicated whether it will accept the deal.
CNN reported on Tuesday that Qatari officials had submitted new proposals for a 60-day ceasefire to both Hamas and Israel, according to sources familiar with the issue.
The proposal was finalized after months of behind-the-scenes efforts led by Trump’s special envoy group Steve Witkoff, sources said.
As part of the latest proposal, Israel has agreed to allow a surge in humanitarian assistance through traditional non-executive channels rather than the controversial US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, Israeli officials said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene his full cabinet on Saturday night and discuss the proposal before flying to Washington to meet with Trump on Monday.
Despite Trump’s statement, Israeli sources familiar with the issue said earlier Israel had not approved a new proposal revolving around timetables and guarantees to end the war. The source did not provide updated language details for the warranty proposal. Netanyahu may send a delegation to take part in the ceasefire talks after his meeting with Trump, they added.
The new proposal comes days after Qatar brokered a ceasefire between Iran and Israel, days after supporting Israeli attacks on Iran’s nuclear program, and months after Hamas rejected the Gaza ceasefire proposal, which had been suspended by the Trump administration, in which the first administration was suspended.
Sources told CNN that the new version, which Katalis also tackled, tried to take into account Hamas’ concerns over the previous proposal. During the ceasefire, Israeli hostages will be released in exchange for Palestinian prisoners, sources added.
The White House did not comment on details of the proposal reported before Trump’s Truth Social Post.
On Tuesday, Israeli military officials told CNN that Israel has not fully achieved all war goals, but as Hamas’ troops have been reduced and become more difficult to effectively target the rest of the militant groups.
Netanyahu said on Sunday that “many opportunities have been opened” following Israeli military operations in Iran.
Trump told reporters Tuesday that he was “very steady” during a discussion with Netanyahu at the planned White House meeting next week, predicting that the prime minister would like to end the war.
“He wants to. I can say he wants to. I think we’ll have a deal next week,” Trump said.
However, even if there are new proposals at the table, agreeing to a ceasefire remains a major challenge. Hamas has long sought a permanent ceasefire, so it is unclear whether they will agree to a temporary 60-day ceasefire. Hamas also maintains a core demand that the war must end and that it must remain in power, Israel will not allow it, another source familiar with the issue said.
Still, there were some indications that Hamas was willing to show some generosity in its hard-pressed position, sources said.
This story has been updated with additional information.
Kevin Liptak, Dana Karni, Michael Schwartz, Oren Liebermann, Eugenia Yosef, Caitlin Danaher and Lucas Lilieholm of CNN contributed to this report.
