Hamas 'agrees to U.S. proposal for ceasefire' that would see 10 living hostages released and 70 days of truce with Israel in beleaguered Gaza Strip
Hamas has agreed to an American proposal for a Gaza ceasefire, a Palestinian official close to the group told Reuters today.
The proposal by US special envoy Steve Witkoff would reportedly see the release of ten living hostages, 70 days of truce and a partial Israeli withdrawal from the strip.
It would also see the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, including hundreds of those serving lengthy prison terms.
Mediators continue to work to avert the deepening of a major humanitarian crisis in Gaza, with Israel pursuing a renewed offensive in the strip after a fragile ceasefire broke down in March.
The military claims to be 'increasing the pressure' on Hamas to help return some 58 hostages still in Gaza, a third of whom are still believed to be alive.
But the offensive remains controversial, with some two-thirds of Israelis opposing expanding the war and putting the hostages at greater risk.
Witkoff's new proposals could pave the way for a possible way out, though Israel will also need to agree to the terms. There was no immediate comment from Israel.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously ruled out proposals that would end the war entirely after the ceasefire broke down in March.
Hamas subsequently conceded that there was 'no sense' in pursuing truce talks if Israel was ruling out such proposals.
Since then, mediators have been holding 'urgent meetings' in Qatar to avoid the major offensive.
Israel's current plan includes measures to flatten 'all infrastructure' above and below ground and move virtually 2.3m people to what it has termed a 'humanitarian area'.
And a blockade on essentials has pushed the decimated civilian population to the brink of famine, with some 53,000 people since 2023 killed, per local authorities.
The proposals have been met with almost unanimous condemnation, and warnings from allies that Israel is 'in violation of humanitarian law'.
Last week, Britain, France and Canada threatened Israel with sanctions, denouncing the 'disproportionate' escalation.
Witkoff was reported to have offered Israel and Hamas an updated proposal in recent days, but the US had stopped short of urging Israel to wind down its operations in the same tone as the Europeans.
Officials said previously that Witkoff has told other mediators that Washington does not plan to force Israel to end the war.
Israel has vowed to seize control of Gaza and keep fighting until Hamas is destroyed or disarmed and exiled.
Israeli strikes continued to pound the Gaza Strip early on Monday, killing dozens, including people sleeping in a school-turned-shelter, local health officials said.
The Israeli military said it targeted militants operating from the school.
The expanded campaign, which Netanyahu has said will end with Israel in complete control of Gaza, has squeezed the population into an ever-narrowing zone in coastal areas and around the southern city of Khan Younis.
But the Israeli military issued an evacuation warning for parts of the city on Monday, following what it said were rocket launches from the area.
'Terrorist organisations continue to launch rocket fire from your areas. The Khan Yunis area is considered a dangerous combat zone and has been warned multiple times,' the Arabic warning said.
'Evacuate immediately to the west, to the Mawasi area.'
At a particularly precarious moment, groups of young Israelis marched through Muslim neighbourhoods of Jerusalem's Old City today chanting 'Death to Arabs' and singing 'May your village burn' ahead of an annual march marking Israel's conquest of the eastern part of the city.
Palestinian shopkeepers had closed up early and police lined the narrow alleys ahead of the march that often becomes a rowdy and sometimes violent procession of ultranationalist Jews.
A policeman raised his arms in celebration at one point, recognising a marcher and going in for a hug.
A small group of protesters, including an Israeli member of parliament, meanwhile, stormed a compound in east Jerusalem belonging to the U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees, known as UNRWA.
The march commemorates Jerusalem Day - which marks Israel's capture of east Jerusalem, including the Old City and its holy sites sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims, in the 1967 Mideast war.
The event, set to begin later in the day, threatens to inflame tensions that are already rife in the restive city amid nearly 600 days of war in Gaza.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Mail
29 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Donald Trump criticises the BBC for Gaza aid misreporting as the White House accuses the broadcaster of interpreting the word of Hamas as 'the total truth'
The Trump administration has hit out at the BBC, accusing the corporation of interpreting the word of ' Hamas as the total truth'. Yesterday, 21 Palestinians were killed by IDF troops as they tried to collect aid near a distribution site in Rafah, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Previously, the Hamas-run health ministry said at least 31 people had been killed while waiting for food, laying blame on ' Israeli gunfire'. When asked about these reports, Karoline Leavitt, the US President's secretary, said the Oval Office was attempting to confirm what had transpired before speaking publicly. But in a bizarre turn of events, she basted the BBC for its coverage on the matter, accusing them of taking 'the word of Hamas with total truth.' Waving a printout of stories on the BBC website, she described how headlines had changed from accusations an Israeli tank had killed 26 people, to 21, and then again to 31 fatalities. 'Unfortunately, unlike some in the media, we don't take the word of Hamas with total truth,' she said in a press conference: 'We like to look into it when they speak… unlike the BBC …' 'And then, oh, wait, they had to correct and take down their entire story, saying we reviewed the footage and couldn't find any evidence of anything,' she said. 'So we're going to look into reports before we confirm them from this podium or before we take action. Taking another swipe at the broadcaster, she added: 'And I suggest that journalists who actually care about truth do the same to reduce the amount of misinformation that's going around the globe.' A BBC spokesperson said: 'The claim the BBC took down a story after reviewing footage is completely wrong. We did not remove any story and we stand by our journalism. 'Our news stories and headlines about Sunday's aid distribution centre incident were updated throughout the day with the latest fatality figures as they came in from various sources. 'These were always clearly attributed, from the first figure of 15 from medics, through the 31 killed from the Hamas-run health ministry to the final Red Cross statement of 'at least 21' at their field hospital. 'This is totally normal practice on any fast-moving news story.' Completely separately, a BBC Verify online report on Monday reported a viral video posted on social media was not linked to the aid distribution centre it claimed to show. This video did not run on BBC news channels and had not informed our reporting. Conflating these two stories is simply misleading. It is vital to bring people the truth about what is happening in Gaza. International journalists are not currently allowed into Gaza and we would welcome the support of the White House in our call for immediate access. Last week, thousands of Palestinians overran an aid distribution site in Gaza, established by a US and Israeli-backed group. The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said they had to retreat due to the insurmontable numbers of people seeking aid Earlier today, 27 were killed and several were injured by IDF troops near a food site in Gaza, according to local officials. The Israeli military said its forces had opened fire on a group of people they viewed as a threat after they left a designated access route near the distribution centre in Rafah and approached their positions. It added it was still investigating what had happened. The deaths came hours after Israel said three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza, as its forces pushed ahead with a months-long offensive against Hamas militants that has laid much of the enclave to waste. The reports in northern and southern Gaza could not be independently verified. An International Committee of the Red Cross spokesperson said its field hospital in Rafah had received 184 casualties, adding that 19 of those were dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. Video showed injured people, including at least one woman, being rushed to a medical centre on carts drawn by donkeys. Health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. The United Nations human rights office in Geneva said on Tuesday the impediment of access to food relief for civilians in Gaza might constitute a war crime and described attacks on people trying to access food aid as 'unconscionable'. The head of the U.N. agency, Volker Turk, urged a prompt and impartial investigation into the killings. Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer denied that civilians had been targeted. 'The IDF is doing everything in its power to allow Gazans to get to the humanitarian aid. The IDF is not preventing the arrival of Gazans at humanitarian aid sites. Indeed, we are encouraging it,' Mencer said.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
IDF says roads to Gaza aid centres are 'combat zones' as sites close for day
Aid distribution centres in Gaza will be closed for a day on Wednesday, as the Israeli military warned roads leading to the sites will be considered "combat zones".The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a controversial US and Israel-backed aid network which began operating last week, said it was closing its sites for "update, organization and efficiency improvements works".In a separate update, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said people would be "prohibited" from entering the distribution centres or travelling on roads leading to on Tuesday, at least 27 Palestinians were killed by Israeli fire close to a distribution centre, according to the Hamas-run Civil Defence Agency. The IDF said its troops fired shots after identifying suspects who moved towards them "deviating from the designated access routes".It was the third deadly incident in as many days to occur on a route to a GHF said it would start distributing aid again on comes as humanitarian organisations continue to warn that Palestinians in Gaza do not have sufficient access to food, water and other GHF aims to replace the UN-led aid distribution network in Gaza following repeated claims from Israel that it did not prevent supplies being hijacked by Hamas, which the UN the new distribution system, Gazans are required to collect supplies from a small number of centres in areas under Israeli military control and staffed by armed American say the model has left people needing to walk long distances to the sites and transport boxes weighing 20kg back to their homes or UN and other humanitarian organisations have accused the GHF of failing to uphold humanitarian on Tuesday, Reverend Dr Johnnie Moore - a Christian evangelical pastor and prominent supporter of US President Donald Trump - was announced as the new head of was appointed to replace its first chief Jake Wood, a former US marine who stood down and criticised the GHF launched a military campaign in Gaza in response to Hamas' cross-border attack on 7 October 2023, in which about 1,200 people were killed and 251 others were taken least 54,470 people have been killed in Gaza since then, including 4,201 since Israel resumed its offensive on 18 March, according to the territory's health ministry.
Sky News
an hour ago
- Sky News
Gaza aid centres to be closed tomorrow - as IDF warns nearby roads will be 'considered combat zones'
Aid distribution centres in Gaza will be closed on Wednesday, the US-backed organisation operating them has announced, after Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli gunfire near one of its sites. In a post on Facebook, the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) said the centres would be shut "for renovations, organisation, and efficiency improvements". "Due to the ongoing upgrades, entry into the distribution centre areas is strictly prohibited," it added. "Please avoid the site and adhere to the general instructions. Operations will resume on Thursday." Following the announcement, the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) told people in Gaza that "travel is prohibited" on Wednesday "via the roads leading to the distribution centres, which are considered combat zones, and entry into the distribution centre areas is strictly prohibited". It comes after 27 Palestinians were killed while waiting for aid to be distributed in the Rafah area of southern Gaza early on Tuesday, according to the Hamas -run health ministry. The ministry claimed that more than 90 people were injured in what it called a "massacre", with some of the wounded in a serious condition. The IDF said it fired "near a few individual suspects" who left the designated route, approached its forces and ignored warning shots, about half a kilometre from the aid distribution site of the GHF. It added that people were moving towards its forces in a way that "posed a threat to them". Later, IDF spokesperson Effie Defrin said accusations that the Israeli military shot at civilians at the aid centre were "completely unfounded and false". "We are debriefing this event, and we will find out the truth," he added. The media office of the Gaza government, which is run by Hamas, said in a statement that Israel was transforming aid distribution centres "into mass death traps and bloodbaths" with 102 people killed and 490 more injured in just eight days since the centres opened on 27 May. The aid centres were "luring starving civilians to them as a result of the crippling famine", said the media office, which called for humanitarian aid delivered through UN agencies and neutral international organisations rather than the GHF. The IDF said in a statement: "Earlier today (Tuesday), during the movement of the crowd along the designated routes toward the aid distribution site - approximately half a kilometre from the site - IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated access routes. "The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near a few individual suspects who advanced toward the troops." Sky News pressed Israeli government spokesperson David Mencer on whether any of these individuals had weapons - but he failed to answer the question. Mencer told Sky's Kamali Melbourne: "The warning shots were fired away from the aid distribution point in response to the threat perceived by IDF troops." The GHF said in a statement on Tuesday: "While the aid distribution was conducted safely and without incident at our site today, we understand that IDF is investigating whether a number of civilians were injured after moving beyond the designated safe corridor and into a closed military zone. This was an area well beyond our secure distribution site and operations area. "We recognise the difficult nature of the situation and advise all civilians to remain in the safe corridor when travelling to our distribution sites. Questions regarding the potential incident should be referred to the IDF Spokesperson." How can Israel know who is getting aid amid chaos? The Israeli government says the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation is supposed to prevent aid from going to Hamas. That's almost certainly not being achieved. The operation is in chaos – every morning tens of thousands of people make the journey south on foot to get food when the two hubs open after dawn. It's first come, first served. It's the survival of the fittest in a place where almost everyone is already starving. The pictures of massive crowds grabbing food boxes in a frenzied manner aren't just an indication of the desperation, but would also appear to undermine Israel's claims the aid isn't going to Hamas. Amid the chaos and thousands of people (mostly men) scrabbling for aid, how could they possibly know who is getting it? The International Committee of the Red Cross said its field hospital in Rafah received 184 casualties. A spokesperson added that 19 of those were declared dead upon arrival, and eight died of their wounds shortly after. There were three children and two women among the dead, according to Mohammed Saqr, who is the head of nursing at Nasser Hospital in Gaza. How is aid being distributed in Gaza? The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) launched its first aid distribution sites at the end of May to combat widespread hunger among the population in Gaza. The GHF, a private group endorsed by Israel, operates as part of a controversial new aid system established by Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in May that Israel would be "taking control of food distribution" in Gaza after it accused Hamas of diverting and seizing aid supplies. Hamas has denied stealing aid. GHF's aid plan has been criticised by UN agencies and established charities, which have refused to work with the new distribution system. The UN and major aid groups said the aid plan violates humanitarian principles because it allows Israel to control who receives aid and forces people to relocate to distribution sites, risking yet more mass displacement in the territory. The IDF said in a statement that the GHF "operate(s) independently in order to enable the distribution of aid to the Gazan residents - and not to Hamas". It also highlighted that Israeli troops were "not preventing the arrival of Gazan civilians to the humanitarian aid distribution sites". Israel has said it ultimately wants the UN to work through the GHF, which is using private US security and logistics groups to bring aid into Gaza for distribution by civilian teams at so-called secure distribution sites. There have been repeated reports of Palestinians being killed near Rafah as they gathered at the aid distribution site to get desperately needed supplies. A spokesperson for the UN high commissioner for human rights, Jeremy Laurence, said: "For a third day running, people were killed around an aid distribution site run by the 'Gaza Humanitarian Foundation'." Mr Laurence's office said the impediment of access to food and relief for civilians in Gaza may constitute a war crime, describing attacks on civilians trying to access food aid as "unconscionable". The alleged shooting comes just two days after reports that 31 people were killed as they walked to a distribution centre run by the GHF in the Rafah area. Witnesses said the deaths came after Israeli forces opened fire, while Palestinian and Hamas-linked media attributed the deaths they reported to an Israeli airstrike. The IDF later said its forces "did not fire at civilians while they were near or within the humanitarian aid distribution site and that reports to this effect are false". 2:55 On Monday, three more Palestinians were reportedly killed by Israeli fire. UN secretary general Antonio Guterres said he was "appalled" by reports of Palestinians killed and injured while seeking aid. He called for an independent investigation and said: "It is unacceptable that Palestinians are risking their lives for food." The IDF said that three of its soldiers were killed in Gaza on Monday, in what appeared to be the deadliest attack on Israeli forces since the ceasefire with Hamas ended in March. Officials said the soldiers, all in their early 20s, died in northern Gaza, with Israeli media reporting that they were killed in an explosion in the Jabaliya area. Last week, Israel accepted a US-brokered ceasefire proposal, which would see the release over the course of a week of nine living hostages and half of the known hostages who have died. But Hamas said that it was , offering 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
