The Hamas terrorist group stated on Friday that it has provided a “positive response” to a ceasefire plan that the US proposed while it was still fighting Israel.
In a message shared on Telegram, Hamas said that it “submitted a positive response to the mediators’ latest proposal.”
Additionally, it stated that it was “fully prepared to immediately engage in negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework,” according to a translation of the message.
On Tuesday, President Trump announced that Israel had agreed to a proposal for a two-month ceasefire. At that time, neither Israel nor Hamas had confirmed Mr. Trump’s statement.
Donald Trump told reporters on Friday night that Hamas’s statement was “very positive” and a “good response.”
Later, the president said, “There might be a deal about Gaza next week.” “…I feel quite hopeful, but as you are aware, situations can shift daily. This has been stagnation for years.”
On Wednesday, it was reported by Israel that while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet supported the terms of the proposal, Israel was not yet committing to it.
Netanyahu is expected to travel to Washington, D.C., on Monday to discuss matters with Mr. Trump at the White House.
A Palestinian official said on Friday that Hamas was still considering its response to the proposal made by Egyptian and Qatari mediators. He stated that Hamas is looking for guarantees about an Israeli withdrawal to the positions it held on March 2, during a previous ceasefire, and an end to the conflict after a 60-day truce, along with stopping the U.S. and Israeli-supported Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) system for aid distribution. The official requested anonymity since he was not authorized to speak to the media.
The Health Ministry in Gaza, functioning under Hamas, has announced that the death toll of Palestinians in the region has exceeded 57,000 since the war began the conflict 21 months ago. While the ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its figures, it noted that over half of the deceased are women and children.
The conflict began when militants linked to Hamas invaded southern Israel by attacking them on October 7, 2023, leading to the deaths of approximately 1,200 people and the kidnapping of nearly 250 hostages.
Meanwhile, the Gaza Health Ministry has reported that at least 640 civilians have been shot dead in recent weeks while trying to secure essential humanitarian aid, with over 400 of these fatalities occurring at distribution sites operated by GHF. Since GHF was established in Gaza on May 26, it has faced nearly daily reports of aid-seekers being killed by Israel forces as they attempt to reach its four operational centers in Gaza.
“I do not wish to downplay these reports, but we cannot control what happens outside our distribution centers,” remarked GHF’s director, American evangelical reverend Johnnie Moore, during an interview on Tuesday, responding to questions about claims from medical professionals and witnesses that Israeli soldiers have repeatedly fired on unarmed civilians trying to access its aid centers.
Earlier this week, more than 170 humanitarian organizations called for the secret organization — which has never disclosed how it gets its funding or who runs it — should be dissolved, and all aid efforts in Gaza need to be restructured under the well-known United Nations-led framework. Since March, these international humanitarian initiatives have faced major challenges from Israel.