Hamas responds to US truce proposal for Gaza, to free 10 living hostages
GAZA CITY: Hamas on Saturday said it had responded to a ceasefire proposal from US envoy Steve Witkoff, saying 10 living hostages would be freed from Gaza as part of the deal.
The Palestinian militant group did not explicitly say it had accepted the version of the proposal it received on Thursday, which reportedly included a provision for the release of 10 living hostages.
Hamas noted that its response had been made out of a "sense of responsibility towards our people and their suffering."
The White House previously said the proposal had been approved in advance by Israel, which on Friday warned Hamas to either accept the deal and free the hostages "or be annihilated."
Hamas said in a statement on Saturday that it had "submitted its response to US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff's latest proposal to the mediating parties."
"As part of this agreement, 10 living prisoners of the occupation held by the resistance will be released, in addition to the return of 18 bodies, in exchange for an agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners," it added.
A breakthrough in negotiations had been elusive since a previous ceasefire fell apart on March 18 with the resumption of Israeli operations.
US President Donald Trump had said Friday that the parties were "very close to an agreement."
Two sources close to the negotiations have said the deal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days.
It would see the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for a number of Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the following week, the sources said.
Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
The health ministry in Gaza said Saturday that at least 4,117 people have been killed in the territory since Israel resumed major operations on March 18, taking the war's overall toll to 54,381, mostly women and children.
Hamas's attack on Israel resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
16 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Trump aide says Colorado fire bomb attack suspect Mohamed Sabry Soliman an ‘illegal alien'
White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller said that the suspect who attacked a crowd with inflammable devices at a pedestrian mall in downtown Boulder during a demonstration in support of Israeli hostages still held in Gaza 'illegally overstayed' a tourist visa. He said that the suspect, identified as 45-year-old Mohamed Sabry Soliman, was granted a visa by the Biden administration, following which he illegally overstayed the visa and was given a work permit. 'He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration, and then he illegally overstayed that visa,' Miller wrote in a post on his official X handle. 'In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit,' he added. A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit. Suicidal migration must be fully reversed. — Stephen Miller (@StephenM) June 2, 2025 The FBI is investigating the incident as an 'act of terror'. FBI Special Agent Mark Michalek said that six elderly people suffered serious burn injuries after Soliman allegedly threw Molotov cocktails at the ones taking part in the rally for Israeli hostages held captive by Hamas in Gaza. The victims, who are aged between 67 to 88, are being treated in hospitals, with one being in critical condition. 'It is clear that this is a targeted act of violence and the FBI is investigating this as an act of terrorism,' Michalek said. Who is Mohamed Sabry Soliman? Forty-five-year-old Soliman is an Egyptian national who first arrived at the Los Angeles International Airport on August 27, 2022, on a non-immigrant visa. Under this visa, he was authorised to stay in the United States till February 26, 2023, but he 'overstayed' and never left, according to Fox News. He reportedly also filed for asylum in 2023 and was given a work permit by the Biden administration, which expired on March 28, 2025. Soliman allegedly used a makeshift flamethrower during the attack at the Pearl Street Mall and yelled 'Free Palestine'. The FBI said that the suspect was also injured in the attack and taken to the hospital with 'minor injuries'. The attack comes barely a week after a man fatally shot two Israeli embassy staffers outside a Jewish museum in Washington after he yelled 'Free Palestine'.
Time of India
18 minutes ago
- Time of India
Colarado Firebomb Attack: Was pro-Palestine attacker Mohamed Sabry Soliman an 'illegal alien'?
Mohamed Sabry Soliman is an Egyptian national whose visa, which was granted during the Biden administration, expired in March 2025 (Image Credit: X) Following Sunday's firebomb attack in Colorado, speculation swirled about the suspect's nationality. The incident occurred near a pro-Israel group rallying for the release of Israeli hostages held by Hamas. Mohamed Sabry Soliman, 45, was arrested and taken to the hospital with minor injuries after his alleged attack on the "Run for Their Lives" group that was gathering on Pearl Street, police said Sunday night. The speculation turned out to be right: Yes, he was not an American national but an "illegal alien." According to Fox News citing three sources from homeland security and US immigration and customs enforcement, Soliman, an Egyptian national, entered the United States during the Biden administration and remained beyond his visa expiration. Records show Soliman entered the US through Los Angeles International Airport on August 27, 2022, on a non-immigrant visa. Although his authorised stay expired on February 2, 2023, he remained in the country after filing a claim with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services on September 9, 2022. He received work authorisation on March 29, 2023, valid until March 2024. White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller stated on X: "A terror attack was committed in Boulder, Colorado by an illegal alien. He was granted a tourist visa by the Biden Administration and then he illegally overstayed that visa. In response, the Biden Administration gave him a work permit. Suicidal migration must be fully reversed." Witnesses reported that Soliman shouted "Free Palestine" during the incident near the county courthouse on Pearl Street. Authorities responded to reports of an armed individual setting people alight. The FBI reported that six individuals, aged between 67 and 88, required hospitalisation, with one person in critical condition. FBI deputy director Dan Bongino confirmed the investigation is treating this as an act of "ideologically motivated violence". Soliman was detained at Boulder County Jail on Sunday evening, with charges pending announcement. His nationality again push people to think that Trump's policy against illegal immigrants might be a right.
&w=3840&q=100)
First Post
21 minutes ago
- First Post
From Taco to Mega, what are the Trump acronyms becoming a huge hit on Wall Steet?
Donald Trump's love for coming up with slogans and snappy acronyms has made him popular on the Wall Street. Now, investors have gone a step further and created their own acronyms, some which may not sit well with the US president read more The Wall Street has come up with several acronyms for Donald Trump. File image/AP Four months into President Donald Trump's second term, market observers have taken a cue from his fondness for condensing slogans into catchy acronyms like Maga, Doge and Maha, and devised a few of their own that have been spreading across trading desks. Even those acronyms that do not directly reflect a specific trading strategy, still capture factors that traders say are important in Trump-era markets, such as volatility and uncertainty, that investors need to consider when making decisions. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Some of the new labels are associated with investment strategies that aimed to capitalise on Trump's economic and trade policies and international relations goals. Others riff off economic implications or his abrupt U-turns as markets and trade partners react to his proposals. The 'Trump Trade' that played on the Make America Great Again theme in the wake of his November election victory and January inauguration, and contributed to record highs on Wall Street in February, is hardly discussed now that stocks, the dollar and Treasury bonds have succumbed to worries about his tariff policies. 'Post the election, we heard a lot about Yolo (You Only Live Once), which seemed to promote taking outsize risks in a concentrated investment theme,' Art Hogan, strategist at B. Riley Wealth, said. Yolo, is an acronym used to describe the tendency that was part of the Trump trade to chase high-momentum strategies such as cryptocurrency. 'While the term Yolo was popular for a period of time, it goes against all traditional advice,' Hogan said. Here are a few more acronyms that have gotten play in the investment world in recent weeks: STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Taco (Trump Always Chickens Out) This one, coined by a Financial Times columnist, has been used as a way to describe Trump's to-ing and fro-ing on tariffs in the wake of his April 2 'Liberation Day' speech. When asked about Taco in a recent press conference , the president lashed out, calling the question 'nasty' 'Where we end up might not be too far from what he promised on the campaign trail. So, does he always chicken out? I wouldn't go as far as to say that,' said Christian DiClementi, fixed income portfolio manager at AllianceBernstein. 'I think that he wants to rebalance the economy without pushing it off a cliff. And we're watching that being executed in real-time. I think some of the ideas are thought out and some of them change on the fly.' Yolo, is an acronym used to describe the tendency that was part of the Trump trade to chase high-momentum strategies such as cryptocurrency. File image/AP Mega (Make Europe Great Again) Mega first coined last year to address European competitiveness, resurfaced this Spring as a way to describe the flurry of investor interest in and flows into European markets. Mega hats, spoofing their Maga counterparts, are easily purchased online It's been revived by investors and traders in light of the outperformance of European stocks in the immediate aftermath of Trump's 'Liberation Day' tariffs bombshell. Maga (Make America Go Away) While the original Trump Trade was also known as the Maga trade, this variation cribbed the president's motto, first appearing in response to Vice President JD Vance's brief and unfruitful visit to , which Trump has expressed interest in annexing. At least one Canadian investor says that quip is making the rounds of trading desks in Toronto and Montreal and sparking 'wishful thinking' about simply boycotting US investments. During his election campaign, one of the many promises were to 'Make America Great Again'. File image/AFP Fafo (F**k Around and Find Out) Although the acronym also came into being well before Trump's inauguration, it is being heard with increasing frequency in trading desk conversations. It is used to capture the financial market's volatility and chaos that Trump's policy-making process has created. Mark Spindel, chief investment officer of Potomac River Capital LLC, described the market as being caught in a 'pinball machine as a result of that policy-making process.' When reached for comment, White House spokesman Kush Desai said in an email 'these asinine acronyms convey how unserious analysts have consistently beclowned themselves by mocking President Trump and his agenda that have already delivered multiple expectation-beating jobs and inflation reports, trillions in investment commitments, a historic UK trade agreement and rising consumer confidence.'
