Israel-Gaza updates: 300,000 have fled Rafah, UN agency says

A senior Israeli official with knowledge of negotiations said they have received a response from Hamas on a cease-fire proposal.

It is not the same proposal that had been under discussion, the official said, adding that it will now be studied.

It will take some time before Israel officially responds, the official added.

Israel’s war cabinet is now holding a discussion, according to an Israeli political source.

IDF spokesperson Daniel Hagari said Israel will study every option to bring home hostages, including the latest response from Hamas, and said they would continue operations in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the Israeli Hostage Center urged the government to accept the deal.

"We welcome the announcement by Hamas to promote the ceasefire, which promotes the return of the 132 abductees who have been held captive by Hamas for 7 months," it said. "Now is the time for the Israeli government to prove in action its commitment to its citizens -- the cabinet must take the consent of Hamas and turn it into a deal for the return of all! The return of the kidnapped is the key to Israeli security!"

-ABC News' Jordana Miller and William Gretsky

The United States said it could confirm Hamas had issued a response to a recent cease-fire proposal, but is still trying to figure out the details of the apparent deal.

"We are reviewing that response now and discussing it with our partners in the region," State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a briefing. "As you know, [CIA] Director [Bill] Burns is in the region working on this in real time. We will be discussing this response with our partners over the coming hours. We continue to believe that they asked them to do what is in the best interest of the Israeli people."

But Miller didn’t suggest the U.S. had a full understanding of exactly what Hamas had agreed to yet.

"We have only received a response in the last hour, 90 minutes," he said. "So I don't want to characterize the nature of that just yet."

Miller also declined to say whether the U.S. believes the military and political factions of Hamas were on the same page.

"I'm just not going to speak for Hamas at all, as we have said for some time, there has been a significant offer on the table. The ball has been in Hamas’ court, we have made clear that they should accept that offer," he said.

-ABC News' Shannon K. Crawford

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of the Hamas movement, said in a statement the group has called the prime minister of Qatar and Egyptian minister of intelligence "and informed them of the Hamas movement's approval of their proposal regarding the ceasefire agreement."

While few specifics were provided, senior Hamas leader Taher Al-Nono said the proposal "includes a ceasefire, reconstruction, the return of the displaced, and the liberation of prisoners."

Al-Nono said representatives would visit Cairo in the near future to discuss the agreement.

A deal has not been confirmed or commented on by other parties, including Israel. ABC News has requested comment from Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the U.S. on the apparent agreement.

-ABC News' Nasser Atta

The Pentagon said it still hasn’t seen a "credible" plan from Israel on how it will protect some 1 million civilians in Rafah in the case of an invasion.

"We've seen kind of a concept, but nothing detailed at this point," Pentagon press secretary Maj. Gen. Pat Ryder told reporters Monday morning.

He noted that the subject was raised Sunday by Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in a phone call with Israel's defense minister, Yoav Gallant, but he declined to say what policy changes the U.S. might consider if Israel begins a full-scale invasion of Rafah without that credible plan.

Austin is scheduled to testify Wednesday, the same day the administration is required by law to tell Congress whether it agrees with Israel that its government complies with humanitarian law.

"I think there are still concerns in terms of the, again, given the number of people there and how you're going to take into account the safety and well-being of the million-plus people that are in Rafah as any operation commences," Ryder said. "Again, we agree with our Israeli partners on the importance of defeating Hamas and preventing them from being able to conduct attacks like they've done in the past. But we want to see that operation done in a way that again, takes into account civilians, takes into account how you're going to evacuate them off the battlefield. So those conversations will continue."

-ABC News' Anne Flaherty