The Palestinian group Hamas said early Saturday it had received and was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
"Today, the Hamas movement received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement`s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13," Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas`s political arm in Gaza, said in a brief statement.
"The movement will study this proposal, and upon completion of its study, it will submit its response."
On April 13, Hamas had insisted on a permanent ceasefire, something Israel opposes.
A delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel on Friday in a bid to reignite stalled truce negotiations, Israeli and Egyptian media reported.
Egypt, along with fellow mediators Qatar and the United States, has been unsuccessfully trying to seal a ceasefire deal since a one-week halt in fighting in November saw 80 Israeli hostages held in Gaza exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since then, global criticism of the war`s toll on Palestinian civilians in Gaza has escalated, as have calls for Hamas to release the remaining hostages being held since their October 7 attacks that triggered the war.
Several Israeli media outlets, citing unnamed officials, said Israel`s war cabinet discussed a new plan for a truce and hostage release ahead of the Egyptian delegation`s visit.
There has been "noticeable progress in bringing the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations closer", said Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence services.
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