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A Palestinian woman walks past damaged buildings in the city of Khan Younis on Monday after Israel pulled its ground forces out of the southern Gaza Strip. (AFP/Getty Images)

Hamas says it is studying cease-fire proposal after negotiators leave Cairo

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Hamas is reviewing the latest cease-fire proposal presented by mediators, according to a statement released Tuesday, after negotiators left Cairo and a senior official said talks were “on hold.” Hamas criticized the proposal for not meeting Palestinian demands but said the group would nonetheless study it and respond. Israel’s foreign minister said Monday that the talks have reached a “critical point,” adding that “if matters work out, a large number of hostages will return home and, in stages, everyone.”

Key updates
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date has been set for Israel’s planned ground offensive in Rafah, but he did not specify when. Displaced Palestinians have evacuated to the southern Gaza city, where the population has swelled to about 1.4 million.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid met with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol. The day before, Lapid met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the importance of the “strategic relationship” between the two countries.
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and France called for a permanent cease-fire and a two-state solution in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Monday. They also demanded the immediate release of all hostages.
The Israeli agency that oversees the Palestinian territories said 419 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, the highest single-day tally since the war began in October. However, that is still a fraction of prewar levels, and aid officials have said 500 trucks must enter the enclave daily to avert widespread starvation.
At least 33,207 people have been killed and 75,933 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants and says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 260 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date has been set for Israel’s planned ground offensive in Rafah, but he did not specify when. Displaced Palestinians have evacuated to the southern Gaza city, where the population has swelled to about 1.4 million.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid met with Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer on Tuesday at the U.S. Capitol. The day before, Lapid met with national security adviser Jake Sullivan and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to discuss the importance of the “strategic relationship” between the two countries.
The leaders of Egypt, Jordan and France called for a permanent cease-fire and a two-state solution in an opinion piece in The Washington Post on Monday. They also demanded the immediate release of all hostages.
The Israeli agency that oversees the Palestinian territories said 419 humanitarian aid trucks entered Gaza on Monday, the highest single-day tally since the war began in October. However, that is still a fraction of prewar levels, and aid officials have said 500 trucks must enter the enclave daily to avert widespread starvation.
At least 33,207 people have been killed and 75,933 injured in Gaza since the war began, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants and says the majority of the dead are women and children.
Israel estimates that about 1,200 people were killed in Hamas’s Oct. 7 attack, including more than 300 soldiers, and says 260 soldiers have been killed since the start of its military operation in Gaza.
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Israel-Gaza war

The Israel-Gaza war has gone on for six months, and tensions have spilled into the surrounding region.

The war: On Oct. 7, Hamas militants launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel that included the taking of civilian hostages at a music festival. (See photos and videos of how the deadly assault unfolded). Israel declared war on Hamas in response, launching a ground invasion that fueled the biggest displacement in the region since Israel’s creation in 1948.

Gaza crisis: In the Gaza Strip, Israel has waged one of this century’s most destructive wars, killing tens of thousands and plunging at least half of the population into “famine-like conditions.” For months, Israel has resisted pressure from Western allies to allow more humanitarian aid into the enclave.

U.S. involvement: Despite tensions between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some U.S. politicians, including President Biden, the United States supports Israel with weapons, funds aid packages, and has vetoed or abstained from the United Nations’ cease-fire resolutions.

History: The roots of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and mistrust are deep and complex, predating the establishment of the state of Israel in 1948. Read more on the history of the Gaza Strip.