Hamas has expressed a willingness to engage with a U.S.-mediated proposal aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza. The group indicated readiness to discuss the implementation of an agreement, which includes the release of hostages and further talks aimed at conflict resolution.
According to a statement on its official website, Hamas stated, “The movement has concluded its internal reviews and consultations with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the recent ceasefire proposal from the mediators aimed at stopping the aggression against our people in Gaza.”
“Hamas has communicated its response to the mediators, characterized by a positive approach. The movement is fully ready to seriously engage in a new phase of negotiations to outline this agreement’s execution,” the statement continued.
In a sign of potential challenges still facing the sides, a Palestinian official of a militant group allied with Hamas said concerns remain over humanitarian aid, passage through the Rafah crossing to Egypt and clarity over a timetable of Israeli troop withdrawals.
Trump earlier said that Israel had agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” a 60-day ceasefire, during which efforts would be made to end the US ally’s war in the Palestinian enclave.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not yet responded publicly to the announcement from President Trump, and the two parties continue to stand in disagreement. Netanyahu insists on the disarmament of Hamas, a demand the group, which is believed to be holding 20 live hostages, has yet to address.
Netanyahu is due to meet Trump in Washington early next week.
Trump has said he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a speedy Gaza ceasefire, while noting that the Israeli leader wants one as well.
“We hope it will materialize, and we expect it could be realized sometime next week,” he shared with journalists recently. “Our priority is to secure the hostages’ release.”
Israeli attacks kill at least 138 Palestinians overnight
Israeli attacks have killed at least 138 Palestinians in Gaza over the past 24 hours, local health officials said.
Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military had carried out an airstrike on a tent encampment west of the city around 2 am local time, killing 15 Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war.
The Israeli military said troops operating in the Khan Younis area had eliminated militants, confiscated weapons and dismantled Hamas outposts in the last 24 hours, while striking 100 targets across Gaza, including military structures, weapons storage facilities and launchers.
Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight.
The conflict in Gaza escalated when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 56,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza’s health ministry.
