Hamas on Friday said that it had responded ‘positively’ to a US-mediated ceasefire proposal for Gaza and expressed readiness to begin negotiations to implement the plan. The framework includes a 60-day ceasefire, the release of hostages, and talks aimed at ending the nearly 21-month-long conflict.
The statement, published on Hamas’s official site, followed internal consultations and talks with other Palestinian factions. Hamas said it had conveyed its response to mediators “with a positive spirit” and was ready to move forward “with all seriousness.”
However, a Palestinian official allied with Hamas noted ongoing concerns around humanitarian access, Rafah border crossing arrangements, and the timing of Israeli troop withdrawals.
U.S. President Donald Trump, who announced the proposal earlier in the week, said he expects responses soon and will press Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu—due to meet him in Washington on Monday—for swift action.
Despite Trump’s assurance that Israel had accepted the proposal’s conditions, Netanyahu has yet to publicly endorse the plan. He has consistently insisted that any deal must result in Hamas being disarmed—something the group has so far rejected. Trump emphasized he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu, while remaining optimistic a deal could be reached next week.
Meanwhile, Israeli military operations have continued. Health officials in Gaza said at least 138 Palestinians were killed in the past 24 hours, including 15 people in a strike on a displacement camp in Khan Younis. The Israeli army reported it had struck 100 targets and neutralized militants in the area.
Funerals were held Friday for those killed overnight. “There should have been a ceasefire before I lost my brother,” said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr, mourning her sibling who was shot while seeking humanitarian aid.
FAMILIES DEMAND ACTION ON HOSTAGES
Hostage families in Tel Aviv marked US Independence Day by demonstrating outside the American embassy, urging President Trump to push for a breakthrough. Protesters set up a symbolic dinner table with 50 empty chairs representing those still held in Gaza.
“Only you can make the deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, whose employee Avinatan Or was kidnapped from the Nova music festival on October 7, 2023. Around 20 hostages are believed to be alive after more than 600 days in captivity.
The proposed deal reportedly includes the return of 10 hostages and the bodies of 18 others. Ruby Chen, whose son, Itay—a 19-year-old American-Israeli soldier, was killed after being taken hostage, urged Netanyahu to come back from Washington with a deal that brings all captives home.
The war began when Hamas launched a surprise assault on October 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 people and abducting 251. Israel’s response has devastated Gaza, killing over 57,000 people, mostly civilians, according to local health authorities, and displacing millions.
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