WASHINGTON, December 5. /TASS/. Israel has sent an updated proposal for a deal to declare a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and release its hostages to the Palestinian movement Hamas, the Axios news website reports, citing Israeli officials.

According to them, "the updated framework for a deal is not significantly different from the proposal that was negotiated in August and didn't materialize." The new proposal was conveyed to Hamas through Egypt, which is now the main channel for negotiations.

The officials point out that "Hamas has shown more willingness to be flexible and begin implementing even a partial deal."

Reuters reported earlier that Steven Witkoff, Donald Trump’s pick for his special envoy for the Middle East, had met with the prime ministers of Qatar and Israel "to kickstart the US president-elect's diplomatic push to help reach a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal before he takes office on January 20."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7, 2023, when militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian movement Hamas staged a surprise attack on Israeli territory from Gaza, killing residents of Israeli border settlements and taking about 250 hostages. Hamas described its attack as retaliation for the aggressive actions taken by Israeli authorities against the Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem’s Old City. In response, Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip, launching airstrikes on Gaza, as well as some parts of Lebanon and Syria, before starting a ground operation in the Palestinian enclave.