Hamas said Monday 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 the Gaza war.

Israel is under growing international pressure to agree a ceasefire, including from its top ally and arms supplier the United States, and faces mounting calls to refrain from a threatened offensive against the teeming southern Gaza city of Rafah.

Late Monday a Hamas source close to the negotiations said the group was reviewing a proposal that would see a six-week truce and Israeli women and child hostages from its October 7 attacks 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.