Amid intensifying Israeli airstrikes across the Gaza Strip, Hamas has declared its readiness to begin negotiations “immediately”; on a new ceasefire deal, raising hopes for a possible halt to the 21-month-long war.
The group’s announcement followed internal consultations with other Palestinian factions and came just days ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump is intensifying efforts to bring an end to the protracted conflict.
“The movement is ready to engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations on the mechanism to put in place”; the terms of a draft U.S.-backed truce proposal, Hamas said in a statement.
A key Hamas ally, Islamic Jihad, has also voiced support for the negotiations. However, the group insists that any agreement must include “guarantees”; that Israel “will not resume its aggression”; after hostages held in Gaza are released.
Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump welcomed the development but remained cautious: “That’s good. They haven’t briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza.”;
The conflict, which erupted in October 2023 following a surprise Hamas attack on Israel, has led to one of the most devastating military campaigns in the region’s history.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive in response, vowing to dismantle Hamas and rescue hostages taken during the assault.
Two prior ceasefires, brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, briefly paused the fighting and facilitated hostage-prisoner exchanges.
Yet efforts to establish a lasting truce have consistently faltered, with both sides trading blame for past breakdowns in negotiations.
A source familiar with the current talks told reporters that the new proposal outlines a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release approximately half of the remaining Israeli hostages believed to be alive, reportedly around 22 captives. In return for Israel freeing an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners.
According to Israeli figures, 251 hostages were captured during the October 2023 attack. Of those, 49 are still held in Gaza, though the Israeli military has declared 27 of them dead.
Despite ongoing diplomatic efforts, the humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate. On Saturday, civil defence officials reported that 20 people were killed in fresh Israeli attacks across the territory.
Spokesman Mahmud Bassal said five of the casualties were caused by a strike on a school in Gaza City, while a separate attack near another school sheltering displaced civilians claimed three more lives and left around 10 others injured, including children.
The agency also reported that 52 people were killed by Israeli fire on Friday alone.
Since the war began, Israel’s campaign in Gaza has claimed the lives of at least 57,268 people, mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run health ministry, figures deemed credible by the United Nations.
Meanwhile, the initial Hamas attack in 2023 killed 1,219 persons in Israel, also largely civilians, based on tallies from Israeli authorities.
