Hamas is waiting for a response from Israel on its ceasefire proposal, two officials from the Palestinian group said on Sunday, five days after it accepted a key part of a U.S. plan aimed at ending the nine-month war in Gaza.

Hamas' demand for written commitments from the U.S., Egypt and Qatar is the one main hurdle before detailed negotiations can begin, two Israeli officials said.

Hamas has agreed to a U.S. proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages without first demanding a permanent ceasefire. The discussions could lead to a framework agreement ending the nine-month-old Gaza war.

By Samia Nakhoul, Muhammad Al Gebaly and Nidal al-Mughrabi DUBAI/CAIRO (Reuters) -Hamas has accepted a U.S. proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli hostages, including soldiers and men, 16 days after the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war,

An official for the Lebanese group, which said on Thursday that it had fired 200 rockets into Israel in retaliation for a strike that killed one of its top commanders, also told Reuters that the group would cease fire as soon as any Gaza ceasefire agreement takes effect,

Hamas has dropped its objections over a US-backed cease-fire proposal to halt the Gaza conflict with Israel, a person familiar with the matter said, the clearest sign yet that a truce is possible after months of fruitless negotiations.