(TJV NEWS) Hamas has accepted a new 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel that includes the release of some hostages in Gaza in return for Palestinian prisoners, according to an Egyptian official cited by Reuters on Monday and reported by the Algemeiner.

Senior Hamas official Basem Naim wrote on Facebook that the group had delivered its approval to mediators, Reuters reported. Israeli media, cited by the Algemeiner, also confirmed that officials in Jerusalem had received the response. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, stopped short of a formal statement, saying only in a video message from his office that “Hamas is under immense pressure.”

According to Reuters, the plan would suspend Israeli military operations for two months and create a path toward a broader deal to end the nearly two-year conflict. A source familiar with the negotiations told the outlet the proposal was nearly identical to an earlier framework introduced by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, which Israel had already accepted.

The Algemeiner, citing officials briefed on the talks, reported that Egyptian and Qatari mediators met Hamas representatives in Cairo over the weekend, with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani later joining meetings with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Hamas leaders.

Meanwhile, as Reuters noted, tens of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in one of the largest demonstrations since the war began, demanding a deal to bring home the roughly 50 hostages still held in Gaza. Israeli authorities believe about 20 of them are alive.

Despite the diplomatic movement, witnesses told Reuters that at least nine Israeli tanks and bulldozers advanced into Gaza City’s Sabra neighborhood late Monday. Netanyahu has described Gaza City as Hamas’s final major stronghold, while military officials warned the offensive could prolong the war and endanger hostages still in captivity.

The Algemeiner, echoing Egyptian sources, said the renewed push for a ceasefire is aimed at averting such an escalation, as thousands of Palestinians have already fled eastern Gaza City under heavy bombardment, moving west and south to escape an expected ground assault.