Middle East crisis: 40-day ceasefire on table if Hamas accepts deal, says UK foreign minister – as it happened

• Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been “measurable progress” in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.

• Blinken said Hamas has before it “a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel”. Speaking at a World Economic Forum eveint, he said “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”

• British foreign secretary David Cameron has said the current proposal put to Hamas includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners. Cameron added that he believed the Hamas leadership and those who took part in the 7 October attack inside Israel need to leave Gaza before a two-state political solution is feasible. The former British prime minister said the conflict will not end until all of the hostages abducted on 7 October are released.

• Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip. France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné, visiting the region, said “Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire.

• Israeli media is reporting that Israel has lowered to 33 the number of hostages expected to be released by Hamas in return for a ceasefire and the release of Palestinian detainees held by Israel.

• At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.

• Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, has said that it has been “an extremely difficult night for civilians” and that “at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including five children” by Israeli airstrikes.

• Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank. It said raids were carried out in Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jericho.

• The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has reported an incident near Yemen’s port city of Mokha which is suspected to be another attack on shipping by Yemen’s Houthis.

• The Times of Israel is reporting that Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz has broken his foot “during a cross-country bike ride” and has been taken to hospital. The paper said he is expected to be released later today. The news comes a day after the far-right interior security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir was discharged from hospital after a two day stay, having been involved in a car crash Friday.

• Hamas’ al Qassam Brigades said on Monday it had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon. Israel’s military has claimed that overnight it once again struck at Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon. British maritime security firm Ambrey has said that a Malta-flagged container ship was targeted with three missiles while it was en route from Djibouti to Jeddah.

• Blinken said he respected and understood the “profound emotions” people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being “erased” in protests at US campuses and beyond. Tehran criticised the US for the arrests of about 275 protesters in the US over the weekend.

• Several European member states are expected to recognise Palestinian statehood by the end of May, the EU’s foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said. 140 of the 193 UN member states have recognised the state of Palestine. On 18 April the US vetoed a draft security council resolution that would have recognised Palestine as a full member of the UN.

The current proposal put to Hamas over the Gaza war includes a sustained 40-day ceasefire and the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages, British foreign secretary David Cameron said on Monday.

“I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘Take that deal’,” Cameron added in a World Economic Forum special meeting held in Riyadh, echoing earlier words from US secretary of state Antony Blinken in calling the proposal “very generous”.

Cameron added that he believed the Hamas leadership and those who took part in the 7 October attack inside Israel need to leave Gaza before a two-state political solution is feasible.

The former British prime minister said the conflict will not end until all of the hostages abducted on 7 October are released.

Egypt’s foreign minister said he was “hopeful” about a new proposal for a truce in Gaza as a Hamas delegation was due in Cairo for talks on Monday.

“There is a proposal on the table (and it’s) up to the two sides to consider and accept,” Sameh Shoukry said in Riyadh at the World Economic Forum.

“We are hopeful,” he added, explaining that “the proposal has taken into account the positions of both sides and has tried to extract moderation”.

“We are waiting to have a final decision. There are factors that will have an impact on both side’s decisions, but I hope that all will rise to the occasion.”

Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to mediate an agreement between Israel and Hamas for months but a flurry of diplomacy in recent days appeared to suggest a new push towards halting the fighting.

A Hamas delegation was due in Egypt on Monday, where it is expected to respond to Israel’s latest proposal for a truce in Gaza and a release of hostages after almost seven months of war.

• Antony Blinken has told a meeting of regional leaders in Riyadh that the most effective way to alleviate humanitarian suffering in Gaza is to secure a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Speaking in Saudi Arabia, the US secretary of state said that there had been “measurable progress” in delivering aid to Gaza, which Israel has beseiged for six months, but more is needed.

• Blinken said Hamas has before it “a proposal that is extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel”. Speaking at a World Economic Forum eveint, he said “the only thing standing between the people of Gaza and a ceasefire is Hamas. They have to decide and they have to decide quickly. And I’m hopeful that they will make the right decision.”

• Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said on Monday that his country was hopeful about a proposal for a truce and hostage release in the Gaza Strip, but that it was waiting for a response on the proposal from Israel and Hamas.

• France’s foreign minister Stéphane Séjourné said “Things are moving forward but you always have to be careful in these discussions and negotiations. The situation in Gaza is catastrophic and we need a ceasefire. We will discuss the hostages, humanitarian situation and the ceasefire.”

• At least 34,488 Palestinians have been killed and 77,643 were injured during Israel’s military offensive on Gaza since 7 October, a statement by Gaza’s Hamas-led health ministry said on Monday. It has not been possible for journalists to independently verify the casualty figures being issued during the conflict.

• Tareq Abu Azzoum, reporting from Rafah for Al Jazeera, has said that it has been “an extremely difficult night for civilians” and that “at least 20 Palestinians were killed, including five children” by Israeli airstrikes.

• Palestinian news agency Wafa reports that Israeli security forces detained 12 Palestinians overnight in the occupied West Bank. It said raids were carried out in Hebron, Tulkarm, Jenin and Jericho.

• The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations agency (UKMTO) has reported an incident near Yemen’s port city of Mokha which is suspected to be another attack on shipping by Yemen’s Houthis.

• Hamas’ al Qassam Brigades said on Monday it had targeted an Israeli military position with a salvo of missiles from south Lebanon. Israel’s military has claimed that overnight it once again struck at Hezbollah targets inside Lebanon.

• Blinken said he respected and understood the “profound emotions” people were feeling about the human suffering in Gaza, but also expressed frustration that the role of Hamas was seemingly being “erased” in protests at US campuses and beyond. Tehran criticised the US for the arrests of about 275 protestors in the US over the weekend.