Hamas accepts US proposal on talks to free Israeli hostages: Report

The Palestinian outfit has demanded that Israel should first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement

Hamas has accepted a proposal from the US to begin negotiations on releasing Israeli hostages, 16 days after the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the nine-month-old war in Gaza, a senior Hamas source told Reuters on Saturday.

The Palestinian outfit has demanded that Israel should first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement, and will allow talks to achieve that throughout the first six-week phase, the source said on the condition of anonymity as the talks were private.