Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal for Gaza, but mediators are still waiting for an official response from Israel. CBS News contributor Robert Berger has the latest from Jerusalem.

Jerusalem

Israel and Iran have agreed a ceasefire after a twelve day conflict. Meanwhile, Israel strikes in Gaza continue with the humanitarian crisis deepening.

Middle East Conflict

Mediators are currently waiting for Israel to respond to a ceasefire proposal for Gaza that has already been accepted by Hamas. The Arab-proposed deal reportedly involves a 60-day truce, partial withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, and the release of approximately half of the Israeli hostages held in the enclave in exchange for 200 Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

The proposal, similar to previous ones known as the Witkoff proposal, calls for the release of both living and deceased Israeli hostages. While Hamas had previously rejected this plan, it has now accepted it under significant military pressure. However, Israel has indicated it prefers a complete deal that would see the release of all hostages, rather than a partial agreement.

Mediators await Israeli response to Gaza ceasefire proposal

Now to the Middle East. Mediators are waiting for Israel's response to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal. Hamas accepted the Arab-proposed deal, which reportedly includes a 60-day truce and the partial withdrawal of Israeli forces in the enclave. It's also said to include the release of around half of the Israeli hostages being held in Gaza, while 200 Palestinian prisoners in Israel would also be released. Let's turn now to CBS News contributor Robert Berger. Robert, thank you for your time today. Negotiations have fallen apart in just previous rounds of talk. So what exactly is different this time around? Not much. I mean, ironically, this is almost the same proposal that we've had on the table for months. It's called the Witkoff proposal, proposed by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff, calling for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of about half the living and half the dead Israeli hostages. We're talking about 10 living Israeli hostages that would be released during the ceasefire, and then an effort to try to negotiate an end to the war and get back the rest of the hostages. Hamas had actually not accepted this previously, and now it is because it's under massive military pressure from Israel, Prime Minister Netanyahu calling it atomic pressure. But then, now Israel seems to be hardening its position, saying it doesn't want a partial deal that would see half of the hostages released, but rather a complete deal that would release all of the 50 hostages dead and alive.

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Mediators await Israeli response to Gaza ceasefire proposal

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