Hamas offers hostages for ceasefire deal negotiations

Hamas has expressed a willingness to release Israeli hostages in exchange for a ceasefire. This information comes from a report by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a news organization based in the UK and funded by Qatar. According to Hamas, they are open to any proposal that facilitates the return of hostages if it also includes a ceasefire. They reportedly accepted a ceasefire framework put forward by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, but it was rejected by Witkoff, which surprised Hamas. In recent developments, an Israeli delegation visited Cairo to discuss the hostage situation. A Hamas team is expected to arrive soon to meet with Egyptian officials. Egypt had previously presented a new ceasefire proposal that includes the release of Edan Alexander, an American-Israeli hostage, along with five deceased hostages. Additionally, Egypt is working hard to convince Hamas to accept the Witkoff framework. This framework aims to free several Israeli hostages to halt military actions. However, sources say that Hamas has not changed its stance on negotiations since Israel resumed its military operations.