GAZA CITY - Hamas said it is studying a proposal for a truce and hostage-prisoner swap after talks in Cairo, as Israel's defence minister said it is the right time for a deal, six months into a war with the Islamist militants in Gaza.
Israel is under growing international pressure to agree to a ceasefire, including from its top ally and arms supplier the United States.
A Hamas source close to the negotiations said the group was reviewing the proposal that would see a six-week truce and Israeli women and child hostages freed in exchange for up to 900 Palestinian prisoners.
The source, asking for anonymity, said the first phase would also involve the return of displaced Palestinian civilians to northern Gaza, and the delivery of 400 to 500 trucks of food aid daily to the territory, where the United Nations has warned of imminent famine.
But while negotiations continued, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said a date had been set for sending troops into Gaza's far-southern Rafah city.
"It will happen -- there is a date," Netanyahu said in a video statement which did not specify the timing. He insists "victory" over Hamas militants in Gaza requires troops to go into Rafah, where around 1.5 million people have sought shelter.
The prospect of a Rafah invasion has alarmed world leaders and humanitarians. After Netanyahu's comment, the US State Department reiterated that an invasion would have "an enormously harmful effect" on civilians, and ultimately Israeli security.