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Hamas indicated that it was open to a Gaza cease-fire agreement with Israel but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal announced by U.S. President Donald Trump, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring a complete end to the war.
Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day cease-fire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The U.S. leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a cease-fire and hostage agreement to end the war.
Trump said the 60 days would be used to work toward ending the war, something Israel says it won't accept until Hamas is defeated. He indicated that a deal might come together as soon as next week.
"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump wrote on Truth Social social media Tuesday.
Trump wrote on social media Tuesday: "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."
Trump is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House on Monday, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top U.S. officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group was "ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement." He said Hamas was "ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war."
A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo Tuesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official speaking to The Associated Press (AP). The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss the talks with the media.
Hamas' response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause in fighting. Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal.
Hamas has said it's willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less 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 speaking to AP 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 U.S. would provide assurances about talks on an end to the war, but Israel isn't committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said.
The official wasn't authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal with the media, so spoke on condition of anonymity. It wasn't clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid promised to back Benjamin Netanyahu over a hostage deal in Gaza. He said on X that he and his Yesh Atid party will act as a "safety net" in the Knesset to counter hardline members advocating for the war in Gaza to continue.
"We need to bring them all home now," Lapid said.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X that a majority within the coalition government would back an agreement that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza.
"If there is an opportunity to do so—we must not miss it!" he wrote. Of 50 hostages still held, around 20 are believed to be still alive.
The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza's 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times.
The war has sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people toward hunger.
For Gazans, who have fled multiple times and face daily struggles to find food 21 months into Israel's military campaign, the ceasefire statements provided hope.
"I hope it would work this time, even if for two months, it would save thousands of innocent lives," Kamal, a resident of Gaza City, said by phone to Reuters.
"Everyone is hopeful that it would work this time, there is no room for more failures, every day more costs us our lives," Tamer Al-Burai, a businessman, told reporters.
"We are living the most difficult days. People want an end to the war, an end to the starvation and humiliation," he concluded.
Despite international calls for a cease-fire, the Israeli forces have pursued a deadly onslaught on Gaza, killing more than 56,600 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since October 2023.
Meanwhile, last November, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
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