The White House announced on Thursday that Israel has agreed to a ceasefire proposal, brokered by U.S. Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff and President , aimed at securing the release of the 58 hostages held in Gaza for over 600 days.

“Israel approved this proposal before it was presented to Hamas,” stated press secretary Karoline Levitt to reporters. “Discussions are ongoing, and we are hopeful for a ceasefire in Gaza to facilitate the return of all hostages.”

Levitt declined to elaborate on the specifics of the proposal, and Hamas has not yet indicated its acceptance.

State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce told reporters Thursday there is a sense of “important optimism” but confirmed the Hamas position is “unknown at this point.”

According to a statement released on Wednesday by , “The most recent effort involved reaching an agreement with U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff on a general framework that includes a permanent ceasefire, complete withdrawal of occupying forces from Gaza, the delivery of humanitarian aid, and the establishment of a professional committee to manage Gaza’s affairs following the agreement’s announcement.”

Hamas also claimed that the latest proposal they reviewed involved the release of 10 as well as “a number of bodies” in exchange for an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.

It remains unclear whether these details are included in the proposal accepted by .

Following the release of , the last known living American-Israeli hostage held by Hamas, earlier this month, 58 hostages remain captive.

Approximately 24 of the hostages are believed to be alive, although Israeli reports suggest this number may be lower.

The bodies of taken on Oct. 7, 2023, including Itay Chen, Omer Neutra, Gadi Haggai and Judi Weinstein Haggai, remain in captivity.

Yonat Frilling contributed to this report.

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