U.S., Egypt, Qatar propose Israel-Hamas cease-fire 'bridging proposal'

Aug. 16 (UPI) -- The United States, Egypt and Qatar said on Friday that they presented Israel and Hamas a joint ceas-fire proposal.

The nations said the "bridging proposal" was "consistent with the principles" presented in a plan laid out by U.S. President Joe Biden in May.

"This proposal builds on areas of agreement over the past week, and bridges remaining gaps in the manner that allows for a swift implementation of the deal," the joint statement said.

Senior officials form the three governments planned to reconvene in Cairo next week, seeking to conclude the deal, the statement read.

"Working teams will continue technical work over the coming days on the details of implementation, including arrangements to implement the agreement's extensive humanitarian provisions, as well as specific relating to hostages and detainees," they said.

The proposal comes as Israel waits to see if Iran will respond to past strikes Israel made in Lebanon and Tehran. While the statement did not reveal any details of the U.S.-led plan, media outlets connected to Hamas appeared cool to the plan.

Arabic-speaking news outlets reported that Hamas leaders complained that the deal did not align with the framework they agreed to, according to the Washington Post . Hamas, however, did not release an official statement on the proposal.

While Israel likewise did not immediately release an official statement, it had called for additions to Biden's original cease-fire framework when it was first released.

The wildcard in negotiations remains if Iran will strike as expected against Israel deaths of Hamas leaders in Lebanon and Iran. The Israel Defense Forces continue to be on high alert.