Israel has broadly accepted a deal for a six-week Gaza ceasefire and it is now up to Hamas to agree to release hostages for the deal to take effect, a senior US official said Saturday.
"There's a framework deal. The Israelis have more or less accepted it," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "Right now, the ball is in the camp of Hamas."
US says truce up to Hamas as its negotiators due in Cairo
A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo Saturday for new talks on a Gaza ceasefire as a US official said "the ball is the camp of Hamas".
A source close to the Palestinian militant group said the delegation would deliver its "official answer" to a proposal thrashed out with Israeli negotiators in Paris late last month.
Egyptian, Qatari and US mediators have been shuttling between Israeli and Hamas negotiators, trying to secure a pause in fighting before the Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.
The mediators "will resume negotiations for a Gaza truce in Cairo on Sunday," Egypt's AlQahera News reported.
Both Washington and Doha had voiced hope a ceasefire could go into effect as early as next week but US President Joe Biden said Thursday that a deal would take longer after more than 100 Palestinian civilians were killed rushing an aid convoy in the Gaza Strip.
A Hamas source told AFP earlier this week that under the proposal, a truce would last for six weeks, with Hamas releasing 42 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
On Thursday, the White House said the hostage release "would result in an immediate and sustained ceasefire in Gaza over a period of at least six weeks".
A senior US official said on Saturday that Israel had broadly accepted the plan and it was now up to Hamas to agree to release hostages for the deal to take effect.
"There's a framework deal. The Israelis have more or less accepted it," the official told reporters on condition of anonymity. "Right now, the ball is in the camp of Hamas."
The war in Gaza was sparked by Hamas's unprecedented October 7 attack on southern Israel that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 30,320 people, mostly women and children, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-ruled territory.
The only previous truce in the war lasted for one week in late November. It saw the release of more than 100 hostages, the Israelis among them in exchange for Palestinians held in Israeli jails.
In addition to halting Israel's offensive, Hamas wants new truce terms to ensure immediate humanitarian relief for Gazans, an Israeli withdrawal and the return of Gazans displaced from the north, said the source close to the group.
Gaza officials say Israeli strike near Rafah hospital kills 11
The health ministry in Hamas-run Gaza said an Israeli strike hit tents housing displaced civilians near a hospital in the southern city of Rafah Saturday, killing 11 and wounding dozens.
A paramedic was among those killed and children were wounded in the blast close to the Emirati Maternity Hospital, ministry spokesman Ashraf al-Qudra said in a statement.
"Eleven citizens were martyred and about 50 injured, including children, as a result of Israeli forces targeting tents of displaced people near the Emirati hospital," Qudra said.
The Israeli military said it was looking into the incident.
Footage posted on social media, which AFP could not independently verify, appeared to show bloodied bodies in the streets as crowds gathered, with men carrying away the wounded for treatment.
An AFP journalist saw wounded people being rushed on stretchers to the Kuwaiti Hospital, also in Rafah.
"Destruction is everywhere and there are many martyrs," said Rafah resident Belal Abu Jekhleh.
"Suddenly the glass shattered and a fire broke out. Everyone fled, some of whom were martyred and others injured. I was injured in my hands and head, and my brother was also injured."
Israeli troops have carried out multiple operations in and around hospitals in the Gaza Strip since they launched their offensive in the Palestinian territory.
Israel has repeatedly accused Hamas militants of using hospitals for military purposes, something the Palestinian group denies.
An estimated 1.5 million Palestinians have sought refuge in Rafah, raising fears of mass casualties if Israel goes through with a planned ground invasion of the city.
Mediators are scrambling to secure a new truce ahead of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, which begins on March 10 or 11, depending on the lunar calendar.
The war in Gaza broke out with Hamas's unprecedented attack on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in the deaths of around 1,160 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli figures.
Israel's retaliatory military campaign against Hamas has killed at least 30,320 people, mostly women and children, according to Gaza’s health ministry.