Washington, May 29 (AP) Israel has accepted a new US proposal for a temporary ceasefire with Hamas, the White House said Thursday.

“I can confirm that special envoy (Steve) Witkoff and the president submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas that Israel backed and supported,” White House press Karoline Leavitt told reporters.

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But Leavitt said talks were ongoing and Hamas had not yet accepted terms of the proposal.

Witkoff on Wednesday said the US administration was close to presenting a new proposal.

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The new proposal was intended to return surviving as well as dead hostages still being held in Gaza in exchange for an an extended truce in fighting. (AP)

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)