![Smoke and dust rising over the destroyed and heavily damaged residential areas following the Israeli attacks on western Gaza City, Gaza on August 18, 2025. [Moiz Salhi - Anadolu Agency]](https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/AA-20250818-38861132-38861129-ISRAELI_ATTACKS_ON_GAZA_CONTINUE-1.jpg)
Mediators are awaiting Israel’s response after Hamas accepted a Gaza ceasefire and prisoner swap proposal, Qatar said on Tuesday, Anadolu reports. In a news briefing in Doha, Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari called Hamas’ response to the ceasefire proposal “very positive” and “almost identical” to what Israel agreed to. The current proposal is “the best that can be offered at present, and the best possible option to stop the bloodshed of the Palestinian people,” he added. “We are still waiting for the Israeli response after Hamas accepted the plan,” the spokesman said. Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty, for his part, said “significant progress” has been made on reaching a ceasefire deal in Gaza. “The ball is now in Israel’s court,” […]
