Hamas said it was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a potential ceasefire in war-torn Gaza on Saturday, a day after a delegation from mediator Egypt reportedly arrived in Israel in a bid to jump-start stalled negotiations.
The signs of fresh truce talks came alongside ongoing Israeli preparations for an invasion of the Gaza Strip's southern city of Rafah where over 1.4 million Palestinians have sought refuge from Israel's indiscriminate bombardment. Governments and NGOs around the world have warned of the dire consequences of such an invasion.
"Today, the Hamas movement received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement's position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13," Khalil al-Hayya, deputy head of Hamas's political arm in Gaza, said in a brief statement early Saturday.
"The movement will study this proposal, and upon completion of its study, it will submit its response."
The Hamas statement came as over a dozen Palestinians, including children, were killed in overnight strikes in Rafah, as well as in Khan Younis and the Nuseirat refugee camp.
Hamas had previously insisted on a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israel troops, something Israel has rejected on multiple occasions.
Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been unsuccessfully trying to seal a new truce deal in Gaza ever since a one-week halt to the fighting in November saw 80 Israeli hostages exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
