New Israel-Gaza ceasefire plan proposed, BBC reports

Qatari and Egyptian mediators have proposed a new formula to end the Gaza conflict, BBC News reported on Monday, citing a senior Palestinian official.

The proposed plan includes a truce lasting between five and seven years, the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, a formal end to the conflict, and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, said the report.

A senior Hamas delegation was due to arrive in Cairo for consultations, without specifying the date.

The initial phase of the truce between Israel and Hamas ended in early March this year, with the two sides unable to agree on the next steps.

On Monday, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, Mike Huckabee, called on Hamas to accept a deal that would secure the release of hostages, in exchange for the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza.

"We call upon Hamas to sign an agreement so that humanitarian aid can flow into Gaza to the people who desperately need it," Huckabee said in a video statement on X.

(With input from AFP)