In an announcement on Saturday, Hamas stated it had “submitted its response … to the mediating parties”.

“That is the only way we can finalize a 60-day ceasefire deal in the coming days, in which half of the surviving hostages and half of those who have passed will be returned to their families, allowing us to have … meaningful negotiations in good faith to attempt to reach a permanent ceasefire,” he mentioned in a post on X.

“Israel will continue its efforts to bring our hostages home and to defeat Hamas.”

It would involve the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by another exchange the subsequent week, the sources stated.

‘Hungriest place on Earth’

Israel has come under increasing international criticism over the dire humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territory, where the United Nations warned this week that the entire population was at risk of famine.