DOHA/CAIRO —International mediators working on a cease-fire and hostage release agreement between Israel and Hamas announced Friday they have presented both parties with a "bridging proposal" that builds on previous areas of agreement and closes remaining gaps to allow for swift implementation of the plan.

After wrapping up a two-day meeting in Doha, meditators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement, saying their talks had been intensive, serious, constructive and conducted in a positive atmosphere.

They said working teams will meet again next week to work out details of implementing the proposal, including arrangements for the release of all hostages and detainees and humanitarian provisions.

The statement said senior officials from the mediators' governments will reconvene in Cairo before the end of next week to conclude the deal under the terms put forward Friday.

The mediators concluded the statement saying the path is now set for "saving lives, bringing relief to the people of Gaza, and de-escalating regional tensions."

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken will leave for Israel on Saturday to "continue intensive diplomatic efforts" to reach a cease-fire agreement, State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel said.

Shortly after the conclusion of the meeting in Doha, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office issued a statement saying Israel appreciates the efforts of the mediators "to dissuade Hamas from its refusal to agree to a deal for the release of the hostages."

The statement went on to say, "Israel's core principles are well known to the mediators and to the United States, and Israel hopes that their pressure will lead Hamas to accept the May 27 principles, in order for the details of the agreement to be implemented."

Regional instability

Also on Friday, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin spoke with Israeli Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant on the situation in Gaza as well the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah leaders in Lebanon.

In a U.S. Defense Department readout on the meeting, the department said the two discussed regional instability and the growing risk of escalation from Iran, Lebanese Hezbollah and Iran-backed terrorist groups across the Middle East.

Austin told Galant the United States is continuing to monitor attack planning from Iran and its proxies and is well-postured across the region to defend Israel and protect U.S. personnel and facilities. The two also discussed progress on the cease-fire talks.

That meeting came as the Israeli army on Friday ordered people in south and central Gaza to evacuate areas previously designated humanitarian safe zones, saying Hamas had used the areas to fire mortars and rockets at Israel.

In a statement posted to social media, Israel Defense Forces, or IDF, said, "Due to significant acts of terrorism, the exploitation of the Humanitarian Area for terrorist activities, and the firing of rockets and mortars toward the State of Israel in the north of Khan Yunis, remaining in this area has become dangerous. Therefore, at this time the Humanitarian Area will be adjusted."

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The IDF said the residents of those areas were notified of the evacuations through flyers, email and text messages, recorded phone messages and Arabic broadcasts.

Hamas militants killed about 1,200 people and captured about 250 hostages in their October 7 terror attack on Israel that sparked the war. Israel says it believes Hamas is still holding 116 hostages, including 42 that the military says are dead.

Israel has since responded with an air and land assault on Hamas-governed Gaza, which both sides agree has killed more than 39,400 people. Israel says the majority of the dead are combatants. The Hamas-run Health Ministry says 40,000 have died, the majority of them women and children, but it does not estimate how many of the dead were combatants.

Nearly three-quarters of Gaza's 2.3 million population is displaced, and nearly the entire population is at risk of famine, according to the United Nations.

Some information for this report came from The Associated Press and Reuters.

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