Israeli military kills 20 in Gaza as Trump awaits Hamas reply to truce proposal
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UPDATE 2-Israeli military kills 20 in Gaza as Trump awaits Hamas reply to truce proposal
U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his “final proposal” for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours. Hamas has said it was studying the proposal, but given no public indication whether it would accept or reject it. Hamas demands clear guarantees that negotiations to end the war would take place during the 60-day ceasefire. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to comment on Trump’s ceasefire announcement. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials.. Demonstrators set up a symbolic Shabbat dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” “We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv.
Five were killed in northern Jabalia, medics said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Later on Friday, Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight. “The ceasefire will come, and I have lost my brother? There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother,” said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr as she wept. Her brother, Mahmoud, was among those killed.
Adlar Mouamar said her nephew, Ashraf, was also killed. “Our hearts are broken. We ask the world, we don’t want food…We want them to end the bloodshed. We want them to stop this war.” Trump earlier said it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has accepted a ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and Israel.
On Tuesday, the president announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties would work towards ending the war. Hamas, which has previously declared it would only agree to a deal for a permanent end to the war, has said it was studying the proposal, but given no public indication whether it would accept or reject it.
A source familiar with Hamas’ position said the militant group was demanding clear guarantees that negotiations to end the war would take place during the 60-day ceasefire, and that if no deal was reached by the end of that period, the pause in fighting would be extended until both sides could come to terms. ‘MAKE THE DEAL’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to comment on Trump’s ceasefire announcement. While some members of his right-wing coalition oppose a deal, others have indicated their support. Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group has so far refused to discuss.
In Tel Aviv, families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators who gathered outside a U.S. Embassy building on U.S. Independence Day, calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives. Demonstrators set up a symbolic Shabbat dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
The Sabbath, or Shabbat, observed from Friday evening to Saturday nightfall, is often marked by Jewish families with a traditional Friday night dinner. “Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv.
Rosenberg was wearing a shirt with the image of hostage Avinatan Or, one of his employees who was abducted by Palestinian militants from the Nova musical festival on October 7, 2023. He is among the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive after more than 600 days of captivity. Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from his meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday with a deal that brings back all hostages.
“Let this United States Independence Day mark the beginning of a lasting peace…, one that secures the sacred value of human life and one that bestows dignity to the deceased hostages by ensuring their return to proper burial,” he said, also appealing to Trump. Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts, displacing most of the population of more than 2 million and triggering widespread hunger. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials.
(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hamas Holds Talks With Palestinian Factions on Gaza Ceasefire Proposal As Donald Trump Awaits Response
Palestinian group Hamas says it is holding consultations with various Palestinian factions regarding the latest ceasefire proposal for Gaza. US President Donald Trump, who is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, said he anticipates a response from Hamas soon. At least 57,130 Palestinians have been killed and more than 130,000 injured since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel. In Gaza, hundreds of thousands have been displaced multiple times, with widespread destruction of cities, hospitals, and schools. The UN estimates that 85 percent of Gaza is now under Israeli military control.
A source close to Hamas told Reuters the group is seeking guarantees that the new United States-backed ceasefire proposal–details of which are still being worked out, according to two Israeli officials–will lead to a complete end to Israel’s war on Gaza and will not allow Israel to break the ceasefire and resume its attacks at will. US President Donald Trump, who is expected to meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, said he anticipates a response from Hamas soon regarding what he described as a “final proposal” for a ceasefire. “We’ll see what happens, we are going to know over the next 24 hours,” he said when asked whether Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework. Gaza Ceasefire Deal: Israel Awaits Hamas Response on US-Backed Ceasefire, Donald Trump Offers Guarantee for Permanent Peace.
Al Jazeera reported that Trump also said on Tuesday that Israel had accepted the conditions required to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which both sides would work towards ending the war. The US remains Israel’s key weapons provider and diplomatic ally, but Trump stated, “I want the people of Gaza to be safe, more importantly. They’ve gone through hell.” Trump had earlier suggested that the US take control of the Palestinian territory–a proposal announced in February–which drew widespread condemnation from rights experts, the United Nations, and Palestinians who labelled it “ethnic cleansing,” Al Jazeera noted. Israeli Strikes Kill 15 in Gaza, While Shootings Kill 20 People Waiting for Aid, Authorities Say.
A previous two-month truce collapsed when Israeli airstrikes killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18, leading to what UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres described as “the cruellest phase of a cruel war.” Since then, more than 6,000 Palestinians have been killed. According to Al Jazeera, at least 57,130 Palestinians have been killed and more than 130,000 injured since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that left approximately 1,139 people dead. In Gaza, hundreds of thousands have been displaced multiple times, with widespread destruction of cities, hospitals, and schools. The UN estimates that 85 percent of Gaza is now under Israeli military control.
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)
Hamas seeks ceasefire guarantees as scores more are killed in Gaza
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Item 1 of 5 Palestinians inspect the damage at a school sheltering displaced people, following an overnight Israeli airstrike, in Gaza City, July 3, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Abu Alkas
Summary Truce efforts gathered pace after Israel-Iran ceasefire
Netanyahu due in Washington on Monday
US says Israel accepted conditions for ceasefire
Plan envisages hostages returning, phased Israeli withdrawal from parts of Gaza
CAIRO/GAZA, July 3 (Reuters) – Hamas is seeking guarantees that a new U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza would lead to the war’s end, a source close to the militant group said on Thursday, as medics said Israeli strikes across the territory had killed scores more people.
Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began.
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Efforts for a Gaza truce gathered steam after the U.S. secured a ceasefire to end a 12-day aerial conflict between Israel and Iran, but on the ground in Gaza intensified Israeli strikes continued unabated, killing at least 59 people on Thursday, according to health authorities in the territory.
On Tuesday, U.S. President Donald Trump said that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties will work to end the war.
Hamas is seeking clear guarantees that the ceasefire will eventually lead to the war’s end, the source close to the group said. Two Israeli officials said those details were still being worked out.
In a statement early on Friday, Hamas said it was discussing the ceasefire proposal with other Palestinian factions and would submit its response to mediators once those talks conclude.
Egyptian and Qatari mediators have been working to secure U.S. and international guarantees that talks on ending the war would continue as a way of convincing Hamas to accept a two-month truce proposal, Egyptian security sources said.
A senior Israeli official close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said preparations were in place to approve a ceasefire deal. A separate source familiar with the matter said that Israel was expecting Hamas’ response by Friday and that if it was positive, an Israeli delegation would join indirect talks to cement the deal.
The proposal includes the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the return of the bodies of 18 more in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails, an official familiar with the negotiations said on Thursday. Of the 50 remaining hostages in Gaza, 20 are believed to still be alive.
Aid would enter Gaza immediately, and the Israeli military would carry out a phased withdrawal from parts of the enclave, according to the proposal. Negotiations would immediately start on a permanent ceasefire.
“We sure hope it’s a done deal, but I think it’s all going to be what Hamas is willing to accept,” U.S. ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israel’s Channel 12 on Thursday. “One thing is clear: The president wants it to be over. The prime minister wants it to be over. The American people, the Israeli people, want it to be over.”
Huckabee added that he would be taking part in talks next week at the White House, when Netanyahu is due to meet with Trump.
‘WHAT CAN WE DO?’
In Gaza, there was no sign of immediate relief on Thursday. According to medics at Nasser Hospital, at least 20 people were killed by Israeli fire en route to an aid distribution site.
Further north, at least 17 people were killed in an Israeli strike at a school in Gaza City, according to medics. The Israeli military said it targeted a key Hamas gunman operating there and that it took precautions to reduce risk to civilians.
“Suddenly, we found the tent collapsing over us and a fire burning. We don’t know what happened,” one witness, Wafaa Al-Arqan, who was among the people sheltering there, told Reuters. “What can we do? Is it fair that all these children burned?”
The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, according to the Gaza health ministry, while displacing most of the population of more than 2 million, triggering widespread hunger and leaving much of the territory in ruins.
Israel says it won’t end the war while Hamas is still armed and ruling Gaza. Hamas, severely weakened , says it won’t lay down its weapons but is willing to release all the hostages still in Gaza if Israel ends the war.
Additional reporting by Maayan Lubell in Jerusalem and Ahmed Salaby in Cairo; Editing by Aidan Lewis, Alexandra Hudson, Rosalba O’Brien and Daniel Wallis
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Israeli military kills 15 in Gaza as Trump waits for Hamas response to ceasefire proposal
U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his “final proposal” for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours. At least 15 Palestinians were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to local health officials. Families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives. Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts. More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in the nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, local health official says. The Israeli military had no immediate comment on the airstrike. The incident occurred at a tent encampment west of the city around 2 a.m., according to health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military.
Reuters
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TEL AVIV/CAIRO, July 4 (Reuters) – At least 15 Palestinians were killed overnight in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza, according to local health officials, as U.S. President Donald Trump said he expected Hamas to respond to his “final proposal” for a ceasefire in Gaza in the next 24 hours.
Health officials at the Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis, southern Gaza, said the Israeli military had carried out an airstrike on a tent encampment west of the city around 2 a.m., killing 15 Palestinians displaced by nearly two years of war.
The Israeli military had no immediate comment.
Later on Friday, Palestinians gathered to perform funeral prayers before burying those killed overnight.
“The ceasefire will come, and I have lost my brother? There should have been a ceasefire long ago before I lost my brother,” said 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr as she wept. Her brother, Mahmoud, was among those killed.
Trump earlier said it would probably be known in 24 hours whether Hamas has accepted a ceasefire between the Palestinian militant group and Israel.
On Tuesday, the president announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties would work towards ending the war.
Hamas, which has previously declared it would only agree to a deal for a permanent end to the war, has said it was studying the proposal, but given no public indication whether it would accept or reject it.
‘MAKE THE DEAL’
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is yet to comment on Trump’s ceasefire announcement. While some members of his right-wing coalition oppose a deal, others have indicated their support.
Netanyahu has repeatedly said Hamas must be disarmed, a position the militant group has so far refused to discuss.
In Tel Aviv, families and friends of hostages held in Gaza were among demonstrators who gathered outside a U.S. Embassy building on U.S. Independence Day, calling on Trump to secure a deal for all of the captives.
Demonstrators set up a symbolic Shabbat dinner table, placing 50 empty chairs to represent those who are still held in Gaza. Banners hung nearby displaying a post by Trump from his Truth Social platform that read, “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!”
The Sabbath, or Shabbat, observed from Friday evening to Saturday nightfall, is often marked by Jewish families with a traditional Friday night dinner.
“Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, 48, from Tel Aviv.
Rosenberg was wearing a shirt with the image of hostage Avinatan Or, one of his employees who was abducted by Palestinian militants from the Nova musical festival on October 7, 2023. He is among the 20 hostages who are believed to be alive after more than 600 days of captivity.
Ruby Chen, 55, the father of 19-year-old American-Israeli Itay, who is believed to have been killed after being taken captive, urged Netanyahu to return from his meeting with Trump in Washington on Monday with a deal that brings back all hostages.
“Let this United States Independence Day mark the beginning of a lasting peace…, one that secures the sacred value of human life and one that bestows dignity to the deceased hostages by ensuring their return to proper burial,” he said, also appealing to Trump.
Itay Chen, also a German national, was serving as an Israeli soldier when Hamas carried out its surprise attack on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking another 251 hostage.
Israel’s retaliatory war against Hamas has devastated Gaza, which the militant group has ruled for almost two decades but now only controls in parts, displacing most of the population of more than 2 million and triggering widespread hunger.
More than 57,000 Palestinians have been killed in nearly two years of fighting, most of them civilians, according to local health officials.
(Reporting by Alexander Cornwell in Tel Aviv, Nidal al-Mughrabi in Cairo and Hatem Khaled in Gaza; Editing by Alex Richardson)
Hamas studies Gaza ceasefire proposal labelled ‘final’ by Trump
Hamas says it is studying what U.S. President Donald Trump called a “final” ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would be eliminated. Trump said on Tuesday Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas. Israeli health authorities said Israeli military strikes had killed at least 139 Palestinians in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli military ordered more evacuations on late Tuesday.. Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted that his party could provide a safety net if any cabinet members opposed a deal, effectively pledging not to back a no-confidence motion that could topple the government. The Israeli military said it had targeted a “key terrorist” in the northern Gaza City area of Gaza City and that it was reviewing reports it was “key” to the area. The Palestinian militant group said it was studying new ceasefire offers received from mediators Egypt and Qatar but that it aimed to reach an agreement that would ensure an end to the war and an Israeli pullout from Gaza.
Trump says Israel has agreed to conditions for a truce
Israeli minister says most of cabinet backs a deal
Gazans hope a 60-day truce will lead to end of war
CAIRO/JERUSALEM, July 2 (Reuters) – Hamas said on Wednesday it was studying what U.S. President Donald Trump called a “final” ceasefire proposal for Gaza but that Israel must pull out of the enclave, and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would be eliminated.
Trump said on Tuesday Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas after a meeting between his representatives and Israeli officials.
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In a statement, the Palestinian militant group said it was studying new ceasefire offers received from mediators Egypt and Qatar but that it aimed to reach an agreement that would ensure an end to the war and an Israeli pullout from Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the elimination of Hamas in his first public remarks since Trump’s announcement.
“There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a ‘Hamastan’. We’re not going back to that. It’s over,” Netanyahu told a meeting hosted by the Trans-Israel pipeline.
The two sides’ statements reiterated long-held positions, giving no clues as to whether or how a compromise agreement could be reached.
“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.
Others questioned whether Trump’s statements would deliver long-term peace.
“We hope he is serious like he was serious during the Israeli-Iranian war when he said the war should stop, and it stopped,” said Adnan Al-Assar, a resident of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south.
There is growing public pressure on Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire and end the nearly two-year-long war, a move opposed by hardline members of his right-wing ruling coalition.
At the same time, U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites in Iran and ceasefire agreed on in last month’s 12-day Israel-Iran air war have put pressure on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.
Israeli leaders believe that, with Iran weakened, other countries in the region have an opportunity to forge ties with Israel.
‘SOME POSITIVE SIGNS’
Item 1 of 7 Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled [1/7] Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled Purchase Licensing Rights , opens new tab
Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said Israel was “serious in our will” to reach a hostage deal and ceasefire.
“There are some positive signs. I don’t want to say more than that right now. But our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible,” he said while visiting Estonia.
Of 50 hostages held by Hamas, about 20 are believed to be still alive.
Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted that his party could provide a safety net if any cabinet members opposed a deal, effectively pledging not to back a no-confidence motion in parliament that could topple the government.
At the end of May, Hamas had said it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal. Trump’s envoy, Steve Witkoff, said this was “totally unacceptable.”
That proposal involved a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians; Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees the end of the war.
“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 posted on Tuesday, without specifying the conditions.
A source close to Hamas said its leaders were expected to debate the proposal and seek clarifications from mediators before giving an official response.
Gaza health authorities said Israeli gunfire and military strikes had killed at least 139 Palestinians in northern and southern areas in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli military ordered more evacuations late on Tuesday.
Among those killed was Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, in an airstrike that has also killed his wife and five children, medics said.
The Israeli military said it had targeted a “key terrorist” from Hamas in the Gaza City area. It said it was reviewing reports of civilian casualties and that the military regretted any harm to “uninvolved individuals” and takes steps to minimise such harm.
Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, and killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies.
Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost all the 2.3 million population and caused a humanitarian crisis.
Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell; Additional reporting by Hussam al-Masri, Charlotte Greenfield and Howard Goller; editing by Philippa Fletcher and Timothy Heritage
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