Hamas has rejected an Israeli proposal for a six-week ceasefire in Gaza that called for the armed group to surrender its weapons. A senior Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations explained that the plan did not commit to ending the war or withdrawing Israeli troops from Gaza—key demands from Hamas—in exchange for releasing half of the hostages they hold.
Meanwhile, Israel continues its military offensive in Gaza. An airstrike on a field hospital in Khan Younis killed a security guard and injured nine others. The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) have not yet commented on the incident.
A UN agency has warned that the humanitarian situation in Gaza is likely the worst it has been in the 18 months since the conflict began. It has been six weeks since Israel allowed any supplies to enter Gaza, marking the longest stoppage of humanitarian aid. The UN strongly refutes Israel’s claims that there is sufficient food in Gaza to last for a long time, suggesting that the blockade could violate international humanitarian law.
Israel’s prime minister explained that the block on supplies is meant to pressure Hamas into releasing hostages and extending the ceasefire, which expired on 1 March. The UN’s humanitarian office also reported a surge in attacks causing mass civilian casualties and the destruction of vital infrastructure.
Israel submitted its latest ceasefire proposal to regional mediators late last week, just after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s meeting with US President Donald Trump. A Hamas delegation, led by chief negotiator Khalil al-Hayya, then met with Egyptian intelligence officials in Cairo.
The senior Palestinian official told the BBC: “The Israeli proposal relayed to the movement through Egypt explicitly called for the disarmament of Hamas without any Israeli commitment to end the war or withdraw from Gaza. Hamas therefore rejected the offer in its entirety.”
This is the first time that Israel has made disarmament a condition for advancing a ceasefire, which Hamas considers a red line. The Palestinian official accused Israel of stalling for time to retrieve hostages while prolonging the conflict.
It is believed that 59 hostages remain in Gaza, with 24 of them still alive. Recently freed hostages shared harrowing accounts of being held in dire underground conditions, some suffering from untreated injuries. Hamas has stated that it is willing to release all of the hostages in exchange for an end to hostilities and a complete Israeli pull-out from Gaza. Hamas had previously offered five hostages in exchange for a ceasefire extension but indicated flexibility on the number of hostages to be released.
The BBC understands that Egypt has proposed a modified plan to Hamas, which is now being considered. Israeli media have not anticipated an imminent breakthrough in ceasefire talks. The newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth quoted an unnamed Israeli senior security official, stating: “We assess that there will be a deal within two to three weeks, but right now there are still gaps and the distance is great.”
The official added: “We want to get them to release 19 living hostages. Israel and the United States are coordinated, and the military pressure is having an impact. They have a shortage of gas, and food and fuel will run out in a few weeks. The big achievement of the residents’ return to the northern Gaza Strip has been erased. Pressure from the residents has begun. That’s rattled them.”
Israel resumed airstrikes on Gaza on 18 March and later restarted ground operations, claiming it was targeting Hamas. The prime minister said future ceasefire talks would be held “under fire.”
Since Israel resumed its offensive, at least 1,630 people have been killed, bringing the total number of deaths in the 18 months of war to 51,000, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run health ministry. On 7 October, Hamas-led attacks killed 1,200 people and took 251 hostages, which Israel says triggered the war.
On Tuesday morning, Israeli warplanes struck near the gate of the Kuwaiti Field Hospital in al-Mawasi, a crowded area for displaced people near Khan Younis in southern Gaza. The hospital’s spokesman Saber Abu Arar told the BBC that a man working at the site was killed and several others, including hospital staff and patients, were injured. Three ambulances and tents used as a reception area were also damaged. Graphic footage released by the field hospital on Facebook showed a man being rushed away covered in blood while attempts were made to resuscitate him.
The attack followed a statement from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, who expressed deep concern over an earlier Israeli strike on al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City. Israel said it targeted a building being used by Hamas as a “command-and-control center,” but Hamas denied this claim. Doctors scrambled to evacuate patients after being given only a 20-minute warning by the IDF. A 12-year-old boy receiving treatment for head injuries died because his care was disrupted.
The hospital, which had been one of the most well-functioning in northern Gaza, is now out of service and cannot admit new patients. Guterres’ spokesman emphasized that international humanitarian law requires the protection of medical facilities, staff, and patients. He also pointed out that the attack on the hospital was a severe blow to Gaza’s already devastated healthcare system, adding that with aid blocked, medical supplies are running low along with food and water.
The UN Secretary-General reminded Israel that, as an occupying power, it has an obligation under international law to ensure relief for Gaza’s civilian population. Israeli military evacuation orders have caused large-scale displacement of Gaza’s 2.1 million residents, with about 70% of the population currently under displacement orders or in “no-go” zones, where humanitarian teams are required to coordinate their movements with Israeli authorities.
Polls in Israel show that a majority of Israelis support a Gaza ceasefire and prioritize bringing home the hostages over dismantling Hamas’ governing and military capabilities. However, Netanyahu faces strong opposition from hard-line religious ultranationalist parties, who have threatened to collapse the government if the war ends.
Israel had previously signed a ceasefire deal in January, resulting in the release of 33 hostages—25 of whom were alive— in exchange for around 1,800 Palestinian prisoners. However, Israel largely refused to enter talks for the second stage of the ceasefire, which was meant to lead to a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a complete end to the fighting.
Recently, Israeli military reservists and veterans have signed open letters criticizing the war and questioning its objectives. This has been accompanied by growing frustration among reservists and their families over the cost of ongoing reserve duty and the government’s failure to draft ultra-Orthodox Jews despite a shortage of combat soldiers in the IDF.
