The U.S. offered Hamas militants safe passage from areas in Gaza controlled by Israel to parts the group controls, U.S. and Israeli officials tell Axios.

Why it matters: The goal of the U.S. proposal, which was conveyed to Hamas on Wednesday by Egyptian and Qatari mediators, was to stabilize the ceasefire and clear the roughly half of Gaza that Israel controls of Hamas militants. • No Hamas militants had actually crossed over as of Thursday night, according to a senior Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officer.

Driving the news: Skirmishes between Israeli forces and Hamas militants who were hiding in tunnels in the Israeli zone led to two major breakdowns in the ceasefire. • On Tuesday, Hamas militants emerged from a tunnel and fired at Israeli troops, killing one, according to the IDF.

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