Gaza Hamas has said it is ready to immediately begin indirect talks on the remaining “points of contention” in a US ceasefire and hostage deal proposal, as mediators vow to increase efforts to reach a truce in Gaza.

Islamic group Hamas has announced its readiness to "immediately begin a round of indirect negotiations" with Israel for a ceasefire, amid stalled talks between the two sides.

Egyptian mediation efforts, says it’s ready to negotiate disputed points to end humanitarian crisis and achieve permanent ceasefire - Anadolu Ajansı

Hamas said it has submitted a response to the latest ceasefire proposal by U.S. Middle East Envoy Steve Witkoff to mediators on Saturday, reiterating its key demands.

Hamas said it sought a permanent ceasefire and a withdrawal of the Israeli military, prompting a rebuke from Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump’s special envoy.

Hamas on Saturday said that it has responded to a Gaza ceasefire plan put forward by the US, repeating its call for an end to the war, in a move the US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff called “totally unacceptable.

The latest friction in negotiations comes as the fighting nears 20 months of war and as desperation grows among hungry Palestinians and relatives of hostages in Gaza

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Hamas wants a full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire, terms U.S. and Israeli officials have rejected as unacceptable.

Hamas has submitted a new proposal for a Gaza ceasefire that the group says “aims to achieve a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal [of Israeli forces] from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip.