Gaza: Hamas approves ceasefire proposal as mediators wait on Israel

Hamas said Monday it has accepted a new proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza as Israel indicated its positions haven't changed, while Gaza's Health Ministry said the Palestinian death toll from 22 months of war has passed 62,000.

Bassem Naim, a senior Hamas official, told the AP that the resistance group had accepted the proposal introduced by the mediators, without elaborating.

The proposal suggests a 60-day provisional ceasefire during which a number of captives and prisoners would be swapped, a repositioning of Israeli forces in Gaza, and a scaling up of humanitarian aid.

Israel has rejected similar proposals before, calling instead for all captives to bee released at once and Hamas' disarmament.

Hamas has rejected demands to disarm, saying it has a right to bear defensive weapons.

An Egyptian official told AP that the proposal was almost identical to an earlier draft accepted by Israel.

Israel has since last month announced plans to reoccupy Gaza City and other heavily populated areas.

An Israeli official told AP that Telaviv’s positions, including on the release of all hostages, had not changed from previous rounds of talks.

Hamas has said it will only release the remaining hostages in exchange for a lasting ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal.