Hamas has rejected Israel's latest attempt to secure a ceasefire and the return of nearly a dozen hostages held in the Gaza Strip. The terrorist organization has stated that handing over weapons is not subject to consideration or discussion. The Israeli government believes that 24 of the 59 hostages are still alive. Mediators were not confident that the Israeli ceasefire proposal would gain much traction as it did not propose any withdrawal terms and called on Hamas to relinquish its arms. Israel has captured more territory in the Gaza Strip, creating a buffer zone controlled by the IDF.