Hamas responds to proposed Gaza ceasefire plan

Hamas says it has given its response to a framework proposal for a new ceasefire in Gaza, reports BBC.

The details of the deal - set out by Israel, the US, Qatar and Egypt - have not been released.

It was earlier reported to include a six-week truce, when more Israeli hostages would be exchanged for Palestinian prisoners.

Israel and the US have both said they are reviewing Hamas's response.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is currently in the Middle East, said he would discuss Hamas's response with officials in Israel on Wednesday.

While Mr Blinken has given no indication of how the US views the response, President Joe Biden described it as "a little over the top" - suggesting the Israeli leadership will not easily agree to what the group is asking.

A senior Hamas official told the BBC the group had presented a "positive vision" in response to the framework but had asked for some amendments relating to the rebuilding of Gaza, the return of its residents to their homes and the provisions for those who had been displaced.

The official said Hamas had also asked for changes relating to the treatment of those injured, including their return home and transfer to hospitals abroad.

The proposal was sent to Hamas around a week ago but a representative told the Reuters news agency it had taken them until Tuesday to respond because parts of it were "unclear and ambiguous."

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al Thani has described Hamas's response as "positive" in general.

The conflict in Gaza was triggered by an unprecedented cross-border attack by Hamas gunmen on southern Israel on 7 October, in which about 1,300 people were killed and about 250 others taken hostage.

More than 27,500 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the health ministry in the Gaza Strip, which has been governed by Hamas and blockaded by Israel and Egypt since 2007._Agencies.