The Hamas terrorist group stated Friday it has issued a “optimistic response” to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal in its struggle with Israel.
In a publish to Telegram, Hamas stated it “submitted a optimistic response to the mediators’ newest proposal.”
It added that it was “totally ready to right away enter right into a spherical of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework,” in response to a translation of the publish.
On Tuesday, President Trump introduced that Israel had agreed to a proposal for a two-month ceasefire. On the time, neither Israel nor Hamas confirmed Mr. Trump’s assertion.
“I believe it has been very optimistic, an excellent response,” Mr. Trump informed reporters late Friday evening aboard Air Power One concerning the Hamas assertion.
“There could possibly be a Gaza deal subsequent week,” the president later added. “…I am very optimistic, however you recognize, it modifications from day after day. It has been altering for years.”
Israeli sources informed CBS Information on Wednesday that whereas there was assist for the phrases of the proposal by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cupboard, Israel was not committing to it but.
Netanyahu is predicted to go to Washington, D.C., on Monday to satisfy with Mr. Trump on the White Home.
A Palestinian official informed The Related Press on Friday that Hamas was nonetheless engaged on its response to the proposal introduced to it by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. He stated Hamas is insisting on ensures concerning an Israeli withdrawal to positions it held on March 2, throughout a earlier ceasefire, and an finish to the struggle following a 60-day truce, in addition to ending the U.S. and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Basis (GHF) system for distributing help. The official spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of he was not approved to speak to the media.
The Hamas-run Gaza Well being Ministry says the variety of Palestinians killed within the territory has handed 57,000 because the struggle started about 21 months in the past. The ministry doesn’t differentiate between civilians and combatants in its rely, however says greater than half of the lifeless are girls and youngsters.
The struggle started when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 folks and taking roughly 250 hostages.
In the meantime, the Gaza Well being Ministry says no less than 640 civilians have been shot to loss of life in current weeks making an attempt to entry desperately wanted humanitarian provides, together with greater than 400 at distribution websites run by GHF.
Because it started working in Gaza on Might 26, GHF has confronted near-daily claims of aid-seekers being killed by Israeli forces as they attempt to attain its 4 hubs in Gaza.
“I don’t need to diminish these experiences, however we will not management what occurs exterior our distribution websites,” GHF’s director, American evangelical reverend Johnnie Moore, informed CBS Information in an interview Tuesday in response to a query about experiences from medical doctors and eyewitnesses that Israeli troopers have repeatedly opened hearth on unarmed civilians making an attempt to succeed in its help hubs.
Earlier this week, greater than 170 humanitarian teams known as for the opaquely run group — which has by no means revealed its funding or administration construction — to be disbanded and all help efforts in Gaza to be reorganized beneath the long-established United Nations-led system. These worldwide humanitarian efforts have been largely blocked by Israel since March.
