Israel has broadly accepted a ceasefire deal with Gaza ruler Hamas, a senior United States official said Saturday, as the American planes airdropped the initial batch of humanitarian aid in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory.

The six-week cessation of hostilities could begin immediately if the Palestinian terrorist group also approves the deal that also frees most vulnerable hostages it holds, the official told reporters on a call.

“The Israelis have more or less accepted it,” the administration official said. “Right now, the ball is in the camp of Hamas.”

A senior Hamas official told Agence France-Presse on Sunday that a ceasefire in Gaza may be secured “within 24 to 48 hours” if Israel accepts the Palestinian group’s demands.

“If Israel agrees to Hamas demands, which include the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and increasing humanitarian aid, that would pave the way for a (truce) agreement within the next 24 to 48 hours,” said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive issue, as negotiations were set to resume in Cairo, Egypt.

Negotiators from regional powers have been working around the clock to secure a Gaza truce by the start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan in about one week.

Hamas terrorists took about 250 hostages during their unprecedented cross-border attack on Israel on 7 October, 130 of whom remain in Gaza, including 31 whom Israel says are presumed dead. It was unclear how many of the remaining hostages are deemed vulnerable.

The US hopes any truce would create space for a more enduring peace. A Hamas delegation was expected to fly to Cairo on Saturday for talks on a truce, a source close to the group told AFP.

The administration official said a ceasefire would also allow a “significant surge” in humanitarian aid to Gaza, with airdrops not seen as a replacement for full-scale relief convoys.

“None of these — maritime corridors, airdrops — are an alternative to the fundamental need to move assistance through as many land crossings as possible. That’s the most efficient way to get aid in at scale,” a second US official told reporters.

The UN Security Council issued a statement Saturday voicing “grave concern” over the acute food insecurity in Gaza and urging the unfettered delivery of humanitarian aid “at scale.”

The announcement of the truce deal came hours after US military cargo planes began airdropping humanitarian aid into the besieged Gaza Strip.