Several news outlets report that Hamas has agreed to a new ceasefire proposal with Israel, brokered by Egypt and Qatar.

While the Palestinian resistance group has yet to issue an official statement on its acceptance of the proposal, Palestinian sources report that Hamas approved it with no major alterations.

Based on the pattern of previous negotiations, the latest announcement offers little certainty that the conflict is close to ending.

Over the last two years, Hamas has accepted multiple ceasefire deals involving the release of Israeli captives and Palestinian prisoners, only for Israel to reject them and press ahead with its military campaign.

The main point of contention has been how long any truce would last. Hamas has sought a permanent cessation of hostilities, while Israel has pushed for a short-term pause — one that would enable it to resume its operations in Gaza once its captives are freed.

Israel has repeatedly violated ceasefire agreements, including the deadly March 18 resumption of airstrikes that killed 436 Palestinians (mostly women and children), blockading humanitarian aid since March 2 in violation of the agreement, cutting electricity to Gaza on March 9, and refusing stipulated prisoner releases in late February despite Hamas fulfilling captive handovers.