We're continuing to receive reports about what's happening on either side of this proposal - and trying to find out the finer details.

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari has now told a media briefing that Israel is examining the ceasefire proposal which Hamas says it's accepted. He's quoted as saying:

Peace talks have largely been Egyptian-ledpublished at 19:13 British Summer Time 6 May

19:13 BST 6 May

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

Mediations for ceasefire negotiations are very much Egyptian-led. The Qataris are also involved - the Middle Eastern country is home to the political leadership of Hamas.

Egypt borders Gaza and they have a vested interest in seeing calm restored. They don’t want the violence to spill over their borders, so it’s the Egyptians and Egyptian intelligence pushing this through.

Hamas has been quite canny militarily - they hold 128 hostages, of whom at least 34 are presumed dead, meaning they're in quite a good bargaining position.

Every night I drive past protesters here in Jerusalem, waving banners featuring calls to “Bring them home” or similar.

Tens of thousands were protesting in Tel Aviv just a couple of nights ago - they don’t believe the Israeli government is doing enough.

Will Vernon
Reporting from Washington

A ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel is the ultimate political prize for the White House. President Biden is under huge pressure from all sides over the war in Gaza.

Some traditional Democrat supporters are extremely unhappy with the Biden administration’s support for the Israelis.

America is Israel’s most important supplier of arms, and many here are calling for conditions to be attached to arms deliveries – or for them to be stopped completely.

This view is especially prevalent among young people and ethnic minorities – crucial groups that Biden must win over if he has any chance of holding on to the White House during this November’s presidential election.

University campuses across the US have been rocked by pro-Palestinian protests in the past few weeks.

Some of them have turned violent – leading to accusations that Biden has overseen a breakdown in law and order. Many Republicans in Congress and Jewish groups say the protests are antisemitic and a threat to the safety of Jewish students.

Joe Biden has spoken of his frustration over Israel’s conduct of the war and has urged Netanyahu not to go ahead with a military operation in Rafah. If a full-scale offensive does go ahead, that would be a humiliating blow to Biden.

A bit more reaction now, this time from Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has welcomed the acceptance of a ceasefire proposal by Hamas and says he hopes Israel will do the same, according to a report by Reuters.

The agency says Erdogan is also calling on Western countries to increase their pressure on Israel.

Last week, Turkey suspended all trade with Israel over its offensive in Gaza, citing the "worsening humanitarian tragedy" in the strip.

Image source, Getty Images

We've just been hearing a bit more on the ceasefire proposal Hamas has agreed to, via the Reuters news agency.

It includes a ceasefire, reconstruction of Gaza, return of the displaced and a prisoner swap, Hamas official Taher al-Nono has told the agency.

There's no mention of the release of the hostages that are being held in Gaza and are understood to be part of the ceasefire proposal, but we'll bring you more as we have it.

Raffi Berg
Digital Middle East editor

Image source, Reuters

Hamas's statement that it accepts a ceasefire proposal came as weeks of mediated talks seemed to have stalled.

Negotiations have been arduous, involving not just Hamas and Israel indirectly but also the US, Qatar and Egypt.

At this point, it is unclear exactly what Hamas means it accepts, but in recent days unconfirmed reports spoke of a phased agreement which would see dozens of Israeli hostages released in return for a much greater number of Palestinian prisoners in Israel amid a pause in the fighting.

Hamas had been holding out for a complete end to the war but Israel has made clear that is something which it can't accept, since it would allow Hamas to survive.

Hamas's statement came hours after Israel, for the first time, ordered Palestinians to evacuate from part of the southern Gaza city of Rafah in preparation for an operation - a move which could have put increased pressure on Hamas to avert that.

Bernd Debusmann Jr
Reporting from the White House

The White House is scheduled to hold a press briefing at 14:15 EST (18:15 GMT) today, which will likely include national security communications advisor John Kirby.

Israel's operation in Rafah and news of a potential ceasefire deal are likely to feature prominently.

As we reported earlier, US President Joe Biden held a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in which he reiterated his "clear" position that the US does not support an invasion of Rafah without a plan for the civilians that are located there.

Earlier, Biden was also scheduled to have a private lunch with King Abdullah of Jordan.

In the evening, Biden and his wife Jill are scheduled to host a Cinco de Mayo event at the White House.

An Israeli official has said that Hamas has approved a "softened" Egyptian proposal that is not acceptable to Israel, Reuters is reporting.

The agency also reports that an Israeli official has said the proposal includes "far-reaching" conclusions that Israel does not agree to.

We'll bring you more on this when we get it.

We're seeing pictures of people cheering outside al-Aqsa hospital in central Gaza.

Children are jumping up and down as people chant joyously and bang what sound like pots and pans.

As we've mentioned, the details of any deal are yet to be announced, but the progress is cause for celebration for those on the ground in the conflict zone.

You can see these pictures for yourself by tapping Play at the top of the page.

Image source, AP

A Hamas official says the "ball [is] now in Israel's court" after the group has indicated it would accept the terms of a ceasefire proposal.

In a statement published on its official website, Hamas says its leader, Ismail Haniyeh, conducted a telephone call with the prime minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, and with the Egyptian intelligence minister, Abbas Kamel, and informed them of Hamas's approval of their proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement.

The Hamas leadership says it has accepted the terms of a ceasefire deal in Gaza.

In a statement, the group says it has informed Qatari and Egyptian mediators of its decision.

The finer details are yet to be announced, including how long it will last and what this means for hostages being held in Gaza.

Stay tuned for live updates from us here in London, and analysis from our colleagues in Jerusalem.

During Joe Biden's phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu, the pair discussed the Kerem Shalom aid crossing.

Situated on the corner between Israel's border with Gaza and Egypt, the crossing is one of the main routes used to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza.

It has been closed all day, with Cogat - the Israeli body that coordinates government activities in the occupied territories - saying it was due to "security reasons", after Hamas rocket strikes nearby killed four Israeli soldiers yesterday.

In the official US readout of the meeting, it says Netanyahu has agreed to "ensure" the crossing is open "for humanitarian assistance for those in need".

It's just gone 17:00 in London and 19:00 in Israel and Gaza, here's the latest:

• US President Joe Biden has reiterated "his clear position on Rafah" during a phone call with Benjamin Netanyahu. Washington has repeatedly said it does not support an invasion of Rafah without a plan to help the civilians sheltering there
• Streams of Palestinians have begun leaving parts of the southern Gaza city of Rafah - where more than 1.4 million people are currently sheltering - after being warned of a upcoming Israeli military operation in the area
• The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) says it is "encouraging" people to move towards an expanded "humanitarian area" in Gaza, where "humanitarian aid will continue"
• According to the IDF, the operation will be carried out with a "limited scope" and is "not a wide-scale evacuation". A senior Hamas official told the Reuters news agency that this was a "dangerous escalation that will have consequences"
• The long-anticipated move has been the subject of international concern
• Israel's defence minister says "military action is required" in the area, after talks with Hamas over the release of Israeli hostages stalled, according to his office
• On Sunday, Hamas fired rockets at the Kerem Shalom border crossing, killing four Israeli soldiers. Israeli strikes in Rafah reportedly killed at least 19 people overnight

We're hearing more now about US President Joe Biden's phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Biden "reiterated his clear position on Rafah" during the call, according to the official US readout of the meeting. Washington has repeatedly said it does not support an invasion of Rafah without a plan to help the civilians sheltering there.

It adds that Netanyahu has "agreed to ensure the Kerem Shalom crossing is open for humanitarian assistance for those in need" - that's the crossing where four Israeli soldiers were killed in a Hamas rocket attack on Sunday.

The two leaders also discussed the "shared commitment of Israel and the United States to remember the six million Jews who were systematically targeted and murdered in the Holocaust... and to forcefully act against antisemitism and all forms of hate-fueled violence," said the statement, noting that the conversation took place as Israel marked Yom HaShoah, Holocaust Remembrance Day.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says the UK is "deeply concerned" about a possible Israeli offensive in Rafah "given the number of civilians that are sheltering there".

He adds that he has expressed his concerns to Israel and has called for a pause in fighting to allow aid into Gaza.

"I've made those points repeatedly to PM Netanyahu," he says.

"The priority right now should be on all parties - but particularly Hamas - to agree to a deal to release hostages and allow more aid to go in as part of a temporary pause which will allow us to build a sustainable ceasefire".

It is hard to see what this operation will achieve militarilypublished at 16:30 British Summer Time 6 May

16:30 BST 6 May

Frank Gardner
Security correspondent, reporting from Jerusalem

There are, broadly, three dimensions to what Israel calls its "limited operation" in eastern Rafah. These are: political, military and humanitarian.

Politically, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is under pressure from the hard-line, right-wing elements of his coalition to carry out some sort of offensive in Rafah, especially now that last weekend’s ceasefire talks have stalled.

Militarily, it is hard to see what this operation will achieve once it begins in earnest.

The past five months of devastating conflict in Gaza have failed to produce the hoped-for release of hostages. The last time significant numbers of hostages came out of Gaza alive was in November and that was as a result of an exchange, painstakingly brokered by Qatar and Egypt.

The Israeli military assesses that four battalions of Hamas have survived above and below ground in Rafah and they want to finish the job as they see it. But even if it succeeds in destroying these units the chances of the hostages escaping unscathed are slim.

The humanitarian aspect is the most troubling. Israel puts the number of Gazans affected at this stage at 100,000.

Palestinian aid agencies say the figure is closer to 250,000. Many of these people have already been displaced from their homes in the north of the territory.

When the US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was here in Israel a few days ago he was asked if Washington still opposed an Israeli operation in Rafah.

His answer was unequivocal: “We cannot and will not support a major military operation absent an effective plan to make sure civilians are not harmed and no, we’ve not seen such a plan”.

Israel will now be hoping that framing this as a "limited operation" will spare it from further damaging its relations with its US ally.

In makeshift camps in parts of Rafah, Palestinians are packing up their tents, and as many of their possessions as they can, and getting ready to leave.

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Reuters

Image source, Andalou

As we've been reporting, Israel is urging about 100,000 people in the eastern part of Rafah, in southern Gaza, to move to expanded humanitarian areas in the al-Mawasi and Khan Younis areas.

Israel is describing the move as a "limited and temporary" evacuation of civilians from parts of the city of Rafah, which has seen its population grow to 1.4 million people - with many Gazans seeking refuge there.

Our updated map below shows the locations of these areas within the Gaza Strip, including the al-Mawasi humanitarian zone, the expanded humanitarian area and the evacuation zone.

Image source, .

Ahmed Yousef, a former senior political adviser to Ismail Haniyeh, the political head of Hamas - widely considered to be the group's overall leader - who is now based in Qatar, spoke to BBC Radio 4's World at One programme a little earlier.

He says Hamas, a proscribed terrorist group in the UK, US and other countries, is serious about a ceasefire and blames Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the deadlock in negotiations - saying Hamas leaders have spoken about making "a lot of positive concessions".

"Netanyahu is the one responsible for all these things that have happened and until now I think Hamas have said to the Egyptians, to the Qataris, even to the Americans, that they are ready, they are flexible to have a positive reaction to the proposal submitted by these three countries," he says.

"But until now the Israelis, they keep saying no, no, no, no, and asking for more concessions that make Hamas in a very embarrassing position."

Ceasefire talks in Cairo have stalled following a Hamas rocket strike on the Kerem Shalom border crossing.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has described Israel's offer to Hamas as "extraordinarily generous", but Yousef rejects that characterisation.

Israel and Hamas have blamed each other for the deadlock in ceasefire talks. On Sunday, Netanyahu reiterated Israel's aim to disarm and dismantle Hamas for good or else endanger Israel's future security.

Escalating violence in Gaza would complicate domestic politics for Bidenpublished at 15:37 British Summer Time 6 May

15:37 BST 6 May

Anthony Zurcher
BBC North America correspondent

American officials have been warning Israel not to start a major ground operation of Rafah for weeks.

They have said that the potential for massive civilian casualties is high and that the move will further alienate Israel on the world stage.

The US has made an intense diplomatic effort to broker a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas that would forestall action in Rafah. Recent news that the Americans delayed a munitions delivery to the Israelis could be meant as a preview of consequences if Israel chooses to move forward with a military assault.

As a Rafah evacuation begins, the US efforts appear increasingly fruitless. An invasion would deal yet another blow to the Biden administration’s “bear hug” strategy: American support for Israel in public that allows them, in private, to guide the Israelis toward less drastic military action.

An escalation of violence in Gaza would also complicate domestic politics for Joe Biden, who is already dealing with critics on the left and right claiming his policy of support for Israel either goes too far or not far enough.

Administration officials had hoped that a ceasefire would buy the president some breathing room amid widespread US university protests and public concerns about civil unrest. Instead, the future may hold another wave of bloodshed and destruction in Gaza.