Hamas stated on Tuesday that it is considering a new truce framework proposed during recent discussions in Cairo.
This comes as Palestinians returning to their homes in southern Gaza are faced with the extensive destruction left behind after the withdrawal of Israeli troops.
Six months into the deadliest Gaza conflict, mediators from Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. have suggested another temporary cease-fire, according to a Hamas source.
The proposed three-part plan aims to cease fighting for six weeks to facilitate an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
While expressing appreciation for the mediators' efforts, Hamas criticized Israel on Tuesday for not responding to any of its demands during the talks.
"Despite this, the movement's leadership is studying the submitted proposal," the Palestinian group said in a statement.
After months of fierce attacks on Gaza, Israel announced over the weekend that it had pulled its forces from the southern city of Khan Younis to allow troops to recuperate in preparation for the next phase of the war, including an incursion into Rafah.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Monday that a date had now been set for sending ground forces into the territory's southernmost city, which hosts most of the displaced Palestinian population.
Foreign governments and humanitarian groups have persistently urged Israel not to carry out an operation in Rafah for fear of mass civilian casualties.
But Netanyahu and his military commanders have insisted that victory over Hamas cannot be achieved otherwise.
"It will happen – there is a date," Netanyahu said in a video message that did not specify the timing.
In response, Israel's main backer, the U.S., repeated its objections to a Rafah operation, saying it would "ultimately hurt Israel's security," while Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant called it "the right time for a truce," even as strikes continued to pummel Gaza.
Ruined place
As Palestinians prepared for Wednesday's Eid al-Fitr holiday, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan, those returning to Khan Yunis just north of Rafah confronted mounds of rubble where houses and shops once stood.
"I came to see my home, only to find it destroyed and reduced to a pile of rubble," said Umm Ahmad al-Fagawi after coming back to the city. "I'm shocked by what I saw. Every home is destroyed, not only mine but also all the neighbors' homes."
Another returnee said she returned to find "a ruined place."
"No water, no electricity, no columns, no walls and no doors, there's nothing. Gaza is not Gaza anymore," she said.
The troops' withdrawal comes as Israel faces tremendous international pressure to pause its war and allow more humanitarian aid into the starving territory.
Since Oct. 7, Gazans have been deprived of food, water and other basic supplies under Israeli siege.
The dire shortages have been only minimally eased by aid deliveries, with humanitarian groups warning that the trickle of supplies will not avert an imminent "man-made" famine.
On Monday, 419 aid trucks were permitted into the territory, the most in a single day since the start of the war, according to the Coordinator of the Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli Defense Ministry body that manages the flow of aid.
Cease-fire negotiations
The conflict began with Hamas' Oct. 7 incursion on southern Israel, which resulted in the deaths of about 1,200 people.
The Palestinian group also took more than 250 Israeli and foreign hostages, 129 of whom remain in Gaza.
Israel's retaliatory offensive against Hamas has killed at least 33,207 people in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run territory's Health Ministry.
The latest proposal to pause the fighting would see a six-week truce and Israeli women and child hostages freed in exchange for up to 900 Palestinian prisoners, a source in Hamas said Monday.
The deal would also allow the return of displaced Palestinian civilians to the north of the Gaza Strip and 400 to 500 trucks of food aid a day, according to the source.
During previous rounds of mediation, which ended in deadlock, Hamas demanded a comprehensive cease-fire, full Israeli withdrawal and control over aid deliveries.
Despite months of negotiations and shuttle diplomacy, the only negotiated truce so far was in November, when 78 hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners were released.
In sharpening rhetoric that suggested waning patience with Netanyahu, U.S. President Joe Biden last week demanded the Israeli leader do more to protect Gaza's civilians and reach a cease-fire.
With the proposed deal now with Gaza's rulers, U.S. National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said that "it's going to be up to Hamas to come through."
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari told the BBC he was "more optimistic today than I was a couple of days ago" but added: "We are by no means at the last stretch of the talks."
Six months into the war, Israel has faced a rising chorus of global calls to halt the fighting.
Türkiye announced the imposition of trade restrictions on Israel starting Tuesday on a range of products, including cement and steel and iron construction materials, in response to Israel's war on Gaza, the trade ministry said.
"This decision will remain in place until Israel declares a ceasefire immediately and allows an adequate and uninterrupted flow of humanitarian aid into Gaza," the ministry announced on social media.