It is a delicate and momentous moment in the Middle East.

The Israeli military tonight says it has launched a new operation into parts of Raffa in southern Gaza.

At the same time, the Israeli government says it's continuing negotiations to reach a ceasefire in its war on Hamas in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.

It has been a day with fast-moving competing headlines and thankfully Nick Schifrin is here to break it all down for us.

So Nick, what is the latest on the hostage negotiations?

The headline tonight, William, is that negotiations continue. hostage negotiations

continue but what got us here is not a straight line.

Late last week US Egyptian and cut three mediators offered Hamas what the US

called a quote extraordinarily generous proposal

approved by Israel. That would be a period of calm for 40 days. Hamas would release 33

hostages, the female, the elderly, and the infirm. Israel would lead would release

three hostages, the female, the elderly, and the infirm. Israel would lease some 700 Palestinian detainees.

And after those releases, Gazans would have freedom of movement within Gaza, and the two sides would discuss a permanent ceasefire

and withdrawal of troops from Gaza.

Now, early today, Hamas released a statement

of its, quote, approval of an Egyptian and cut-free proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement.

Israeli officials quickly told me that Hamas had not approved anything or what it had approved

was not the deal on the table.

The reality is somewhere in the middle William.

U.S. officials confirmed that Hamas responded to their proposal, didn't accept anything.

At the same time, their response is being called positive by regional officials that I speak to.

We do not have the exact details of how Hamas is asking for the proposal to be changed.

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