Hamas ‘ready for a ceasefire' but only if a deal ends the war in Gaza
The militant group stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by Donald Trump hours earlier. The US president said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
He has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.
Mr Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work towards ending the war — something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated. He said a deal might come together as soon as next week.
Hamas's response raised questions about whether the latest offer could lead to an actual pause in fighting.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the militant group was 'ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement', adding that the group is 'ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war'.
A Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official.
Throughout the nearly 21-month war, ceasefire talks have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of a deal.
Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, fewer than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.
An Israeli official said the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory.
The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks on an end to the war, but Israel is not committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said.
It was not clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.
Israel has yet to publicly comment on Mr Trump's announcement. On Monday, he is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with senior US officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had 'agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War'.
'I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE.'
Gaza's health ministry said the death toll passed the 57,000 mark on Wednesday, after hospitals received 142 bodies overnight.
The ministry does not differentiate between civilians and combatants in its death count, but says that more than half of the dead are women and children.
Since dawn on Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the Gaza Strip, the ministry said. Hospital officials said four children and seven women were among the dead.
The director of the Indonesian Hospital, Dr Marwan Sultan, was killed in an apartment in an Israeli strike west of Gaza City, a hospital statement said.
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