Israel has already accepted a ceasefire proposal in Gaza in exchange for the release of hostages, a senior White House official who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed to the AP agency this Saturday.
However, the decision of whether or not to reach the agreement now falls to the terrorist group Hamas, which must decide whether or not to accept the pact while Palestinian citizens in Gaza face a severe humanitarian crisis due to the lack of food and the impossibility of receiving continuous aid by land.
According to AP, international mediators have been working for weeks on an agreement to get a ceasefire in place before the Muslim holy month of Ramadan begins, around March 10.
“A deal would likely allow aid to reach hundreds of thousands of desperate Palestinians in northern Gaza who aid officials worry are under threat of famine,” the agency reported.
Israel, according to the senior White House official, "more or less" accepted the proposal, which includes a ceasefire for six weeks and the release by Hamas of the hostages considered vulnerable; the sick, wounded, elderly and women.
"Right now, the ball is in the court of Hamas and we are continuing to push this as hard as we possibly can," the official told the AP.
Additionally, a senior Egyptian official, who also spoke on condition of anonymity, revealed that talks to reach an agreement will continue in Egypt this Sunday.
