The acceptance of the amended proposal submitted by Steve Whitcoff for a ceasefire in Gaza has been accepted by Benjamin Netanyahu, as he informed the families of hostages held in the enclave earlier today.

At the same time, however, Hamas appears “disappointed” by the proposal of the US special envoy, as it does not include a clear guarantee from Washington that the temporary ceasefire it outlines will lead to a permanent ceasefire, according to a source familiar with the negotiations who told Axios.

Specifically, Whitcoff ‘s proposal stipulates that the two sides will enter into negotiations on the terms of a permanent ceasefire during the 60-day temporary truce. However, the proposal does not stipulate that if the talks are extended beyond 60 days, the temporary ceasefire will be extended accordingly, according to the source.

Hamas is seeking a proposal that would ensure this extension, given that in the previous agreement signed in January, Israel refused to negotiate the terms of a permanent ceasefire and resumed hostilities in Gaza after the expiration of the temporary truce.

The same source notes that Hamas officials have not yet formally rejected the proposal, as just a few hours ago they publicly confirmed that they had received it. However, they have expressed their disappointment with its terms to mediators.

At the same time, Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid called on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to accept the new US proposal immediately.

“Israel must publicly and without delay accept the framework presented this morning by US mediator Steve Whitcoff, Lapid wrote in a post on the X platform.

He even reminded Netanyahu that he has a “full safety net” from the opposition to support approval of the plan, even in the event that ministers Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich try to block it.