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Hamas on Wednesday announced that the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, held talks with officials from Qatar, Egypt, and Turkey to discuss a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel continued its deadly air and ground attacks on the devastated Palestinian territory.

A Hamas statement said that Haniyeh had held "communications with the mediators in Qatar and Egypt regarding the ideas being discussed with them to reach an agreement that would put an end to the brutal aggression faced by our steadfast people in the Gaza Strip", according to the Turkish Anadolu news agency.

Haniyeh also spoke with Turkish officials according to the Hamas statement, and “"engaged positively".

Hamas on Wednesday submitted a new response to a ceasefire deal originally put forward by US President Joe Biden at the end of May.

Israel said it had received the response and was studying it before sending a reply.

Last month, Hamas accepted the proposal presented by Biden, but put forward several amendments. Its response was framed as a rejection by Israel and the US.

Israel itself did not agree to the deal, even though Biden framed it as an Israeli proposal.

The deal envisages the release of remaining Israeli hostages held by Hamas, who are said to number around 120 although many are believed to be dead from air strikes and other privations hitting Gaza.

As part of the deal, Israel will also pull its forces from Gaza in two stages while some of the thousands of Palestinian detainees held by Israel will be released.

In the third phase, reconstruction of the devastated Gaza Strip will begin.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, under pressure from his extreme-right allies in the cabinet has constantly said, however, that he aims to "crush" Hamas and impose Israeli control of the Gaza Strip, reiterating this on Wednesday.

Israel’s war on Gaza has killed nearly 38,000 Palestinians, mostly women and children, with tens of thousands fleeing renewed attacks in southern Gaza on Wednesday.