Gaza City (Palestinian Territories) (AFP) – Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, a senior member from the group said Monday, after a fresh diplomatic push to end more than 22 months of war.

Mediators Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, have struggled to secure a lasting truce in the conflict, which has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip.

But after receiving a new proposal from mediators, Hamas said it was ready for talks.

“The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators’ new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people,” senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Facebook.

Earlier a Hamas source told AFP the group accepted the proposal “without requesting any amendments”.

Egypt said it and Qatar had sent the new proposal to Israel, adding “the ball is now in its court”. Israel has yet to respond.

A Palestinian source familiar with the talks said mediators were “expected to announce that an agreement has been reached and set a date for the resumption of talks”, adding guarantees were offered to ensure implementation and pursue a permanent solution.

According to a report in Egyptian state-linked outlet Al-Qahera, the deal proposed an initial 60-day truce, a partial hostage release, the release of some Palestinian prisoners and provisions to allow for the entry of aid.

The proposal comes more than a week after Israel’s security cabinet approved plans to conquer Gaza City and nearby refugee camps, which has sparked international outcry as well as domestic opposition.

On the ground, Gaza’s civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 20 people across the territory on Monday, including six in the south.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was “not aware of any casualties as a result of IDF fire” in the southern areas reported by the civil defence.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties accessing swathes of the Palestinian territory mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defence agency or the Israeli military.

Eyewitnesses later told AFP that residential areas, including Zeitoun and al Sabra neighbourhoods, in Gaza City were under heavy fire, with tanks and heavy artillery targeting the area.

Rights group Amnesty International meanwhile accused Israel of enacting a “deliberate policy” of starvation in Gaza and “systematically destroying the health, well-being and social fabric of Palestinian life”.