Hamas has expressed its readiness to begin negotiations immediately regarding a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza. This declaration comes amid reports from the civil defense agency indicating that Israel’s ongoing military operations claimed the lives of 20 individuals on Saturday. The announcement follows consultations with various Palestinian factions and precedes Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Washington, where President Donald Trump is advocating for an end to the prolonged conflict, now entering its twenty-first month.
The militant group declared, “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 truce proposal backed by the United States. Islamic Jihad, a Hamas ally, has also signaled its support for the ceasefire discussions but has demanded guarantees that Israel will refrain from resuming hostilities after the liberation of hostages held in Gaza.
President Trump commented on Hamas’s response while aboard Air Force One, stating, “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 ongoing conflict was ignited following Hamas’s attack in October 2023, which led to a massive Israeli response aimed at dismantling Hamas and securing the release of hostages taken by Palestinian militants.
Netanyahu reiterated his commitment to retrieving the hostages, facing increasing domestic pressure regarding their safety. Past attempts at ceasefire, facilitated by mediators from Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, have resulted in temporary halts to the fighting, often involving exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.
Recent efforts to establish a new truce have seen repeated failures, largely due to Israel’s refusal to provide assurances that any agreement would remain in effect. A previous round of negotiations collapsed in May, with both parties pointing fingers over the breakdown. According to sources familiar with the ongoing discussions, the latest proposal includes a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release half of the estimated 22 Israeli captives still alive in Gaza, in return for Israel freeing a number of Palestinian detainees.
Currently, out of the 251 hostages taken during the October 2023 offensive, 49 remain in Gaza, while the Israeli military has reported that 27 of those are deceased. The nearly two years of conflict have exacerbated dire humanitarian conditions for the over two million residents of the Gaza Strip, especially as Israeli military operations intensify.
On Saturday, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal reported that Israeli operations killed 20 individuals across Gaza. Due to media restrictions and the challenging conditions in the region, independent verification of casualty figures remains difficult. Bassal noted that five deaths occurred in a strike on a school in Gaza City, and a second strike near another school, where displaced civilians had sought refuge, resulted in three dead and around ten wounded, including children.
Many residents have turned to schools and public shelters for safety in the wake of the ongoing conflict, which began with the initial Hamas attack in October. The Israeli military has not provided comments regarding specific strikes without having precise geographical data. According to the civil defense agency, Israeli strikes and gunfire claimed at least 52 lives just on Friday.
Since the October assault, the conflict has resulted in the deaths of 1,219 individuals in Israel, primarily civilians, based on an AFP assessment of official Israeli reports. On the other hand, the Hamas-run health ministry reports that Israel’s retaliatory actions have resulted in at least 57,268 fatalities in Gaza, mostly among civilians, figures that the United Nations has deemed credible.
