Israel under pressure to accept ceasefire proposal that is said to be almost identical to earlier US-backed planMiddle East crisis – live updatesIsrael has said it will deliver its response to international mediators by Friday over a new Gaza ceasefire plan accepted by Hamas amid mounting pressure for a truce in a war that has claimed more than 62,000 Palestinian lives.After mass protests in Israel demanding a deal to secure the release of the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza, it appeared that Hamas had reduced its demands for a prisoners-for-hostages exchange as well as over the scope of an Israeli-demanded “security buffer zone”. Continue reading…