The United States has put forward a new proposal that would secure the release of a handful of living hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a month-long extension of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire, a source familiar with the negotiations said.

The two sides are supposed to negotiate a second phase of the cease-fire agreement that would end the war, but they remain far apart on how to move forward.

U.S. Hostage Envoy Adam Boehler defended the United States’s negotiating directly with the Hamas terrorist group, though he acknowledged why Israeli officials were upset over the move. The Trump administration has been negotiating directly with Hamas over the release of its hostages,