Hamas said it had responded on Friday in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.

US president Donald Trump earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from the parties in coming hours.

On Friday evening Hamas wrote on its official website: “The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”

Israeli media reported that Israel had received Hamas’s response and it was being examined.

Earlier a source told the Guardian that Hamas leaders were close to accepting a proposed deal for a ceasefire in Gaza but want stronger guarantees that any pause in hostilities would lead to a permanent end to the 20-month war.

The Palestinian group has come under immense pressure in recent months, with its military leadership decimated and the Israeli military forcing its fighters out of former strongholds in the southern and central parts of Gaza.

In recent days, Israel has ramped up its offensive, launching an intense wave of airstrikes across Gaza, killing more than 250 Palestinians, including many women and children, according to medical and civil defence officials.

Hardline factions within Hamas had reluctantly accepted the need for a ceasefire to allow the organisation to regroup and plan a new strategy, one source familiar with the internal debate said.

Since a previous ceasefire collapsed in March, more than 6,000 people have been killed in Gaza and an acute humanitarian crisis has worsened.

Efforts for a new truce in Gaza gathered momentum after the US secured a ceasefire to end the 12-day conflict between Israel and Iran last month.

On Tuesday, Trump announced that Israel had accepted the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire, during which the parties would work to end the war. When asked on Thursday if Hamas had agreed to the latest ceasefire deal framework, he said: “We’ll see what happens. We are going to know over the next 24 hours.”

Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with Trump about the war in Gaza, the recent war between Israel and Iran, and other regional issues.

The Israeli prime minister has long resisted a permanent end to the war in Gaza, partly to retain the support of far-right allies in his ruling coalition. But Israel’s successes in the war with Iran have strengthened his political position and opinion polls in Israel show strong support for a deal.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12, a major Israeli TV network: “Judging by the signals from Hamas, there is a high probability that we will start proximity talks in the next few days. If there is consent to proximity talks, there will be a deal.”

Other Israeli officials told Reuters preparations were in place to approve the ceasefire deal and that an Israeli delegation was getting ready to join indirect talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt to cement the deal if Hamas responded positively.

The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held in Gaza since the Hamas attack on southern Israel in October 2023 that triggered the conflict, 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.

Hamas seized 251 hostages during the 2023 attack. Less than half of the 50 who remain in Gaza are believed to be alive.

Aid would enter Gaza immediately under the agreement, and the Israeli military would carry out a phased withdrawal from parts of the territory, 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,” Mike Huckabee, the US ambassador to Israel, told 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.”

The delivery of more aid to Gaza has been a principal demand of Hamas throughout negotiations. Israel imposed an 11-week blockade in March, which was only slightly eased in May under huge international pressure as famine loomed.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), a secretive private organisation backed by the US and Israel that was charged with delivering food in Gaza, has been dogged by controversy. Hundreds have been killed by Israeli fire while seeking aid at the GHF’s hubs and after gathering in crowds at locations where convoys sent by the UN have been stopped.

On Friday, a report by the BBC quoted a former GHF employee describing colleagues firing towards Palestinians who had posed no threat, with many appearing to have been seriously hurt on several occasions.

The GHF employee told the BBC he and others had been given no clear rules of engagement or standard operating procedures, and were told by one team leader: “If you feel threatened, shoot – shoot to kill and ask questions later.”

The GHF said the allegations, which were also made by former employees quoted by the Associated Press on Thursday, were categorically false and that no civilians had came under fire at their distribution sites. The Israeli military has denied any intent to harm civilians seeking aid, saying it only fired warning shots.

Speaking to journalists while on his way to a rally in Iowa on Thursday, Trump said: “I want the people of Gaza to be safe. That’s more important than anything else. They’ve gone through hell.”

Netanyahu visited Israel’s Nir Oz kibbutz on Thursday for the first time since the 2023 Hamas attack. The community was one of the worst-hit in the attack, with nearly one in four residents kidnapped or killed.

He said: “I feel a deep commitment – first of all to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them. There are still 20 who are alive and there are also those who are deceased, and we will bring them all back.”

The prime minister has been heavily criticised for refusing to take responsibility for the failures that allowed the 2023 attack, during which Hamas killed 1,200, mostly civilians, and has been repeatedly accused of prioritising his political survival over the fate of the hostages.

Israel’s retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,000 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to a count by the territory’s ministry of health that is considered reliable by the UN and many western governments.

The Israeli military said it “follows international law and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm” when striking “terrorist targets”.

Source: The Guardian

Hamas has said it has “submitted its positive response” to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza to mediators.

The proposal for a 60-day ceasefire was presented by US President Donald Trump, who has been pushing hard for a deal to end the fighting in Gaza, with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set to visit the White House next week to discuss a deal.

Mr Trump said Israel had agreed to his proposed ceasefire terms, and he urged Hamas to accept the deal as well.

Hamas’ “positive” response to the proposal had slightly different wording on three issues around humanitarian aid, the status of the Israeli Defence Forces inside Gaza and the language around guarantees beyond the 60-day ceasefire, a source with knowledge of the negotiations revealed.

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But the source told Sky News: “Things are looking good.”

Hamas said it is “fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework” without elaborating on what needed to be worked out in the proposal’s implementation.

The US said during the ceasefire it would “work with all parties to end the war”.

A Hamas official said on condition of anonymity that the truce could start as early as next week.

But he added that talks were needed first to establish how many Palestinian prisoners would be released in return for each freed Israeli hostage and to specify the amount of humanitarian aid that will be allowed to enter Gaza during the ceasefire.

He said negotiations on a permanent ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza in return for the release of the remaining hostages would start on the first day of the truce.

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Hamas has been seeking guarantees that the 60-day ceasefire would lead to a total end to the nearly 21-month-old war, which caused previous rounds of negotiations to fail as Mr Netanyahu has insisted that Israel would continue fighting in Gaza to ensure the destruction of Hamas.

The Hamas official said that Mr Trump has guaranteed that the ceasefire will extend beyond 60 days if necessary to reach a peace deal, but there is no confirmation from the US of such a guarantee.

Speaking to journalists on Air Force One, Mr Trump welcomed Hamas’s “positive spirit” to the proposal, adding that there could be a ceasefire deal by next week.

Hamas also said it wants more aid to flow through the United Nations and other humanitarian agencies, which comes as the UN human rights officer said it recorded 613 Palestinians killed in Gaza within a month while trying to obtain aid.

Most of them were said to have been killed while trying to reach food distribution points by the controversial US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

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The spokeswoman for the UN human rights office, Ravina Shamdasani, said the agency was not able to attribute responsibility for the killings, but added that “it is clear that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to reach the distribution points” operated by GHF.

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Ms Shamdasani said that of the total tallied, 509 killings were “GHF-related”, meaning at or near its distribution sites.

The GHF accused the UN of taking its casualty figures “directly from the Hamas-controlled Gaza health ministry” and of trying “to falsely smear our effort”, which echoed statements to Sky News by the executive director of GHF, Johnnie Moore.

Mr Moore called the UN figures a “disinformation campaign” that is “meant to shut down our efforts” in the Gaza Strip.

Extremist group requests minor adjustments at some points of the agreement, but says it is ready to negotiate the terms to implement the truce

Hamas announced on Friday (4.Jul.2025) that accepted the proposal presented by the United States for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel.

According to, the extremist group requested only minor adjustments at some points of the agreement, but said it was ready to negotiate the terms to implement the truce. There is not yet a date for this to happen.

“The movement [Hamas] He presented his response to the fraternal mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, in all seriousness, to immediately start a new round of negotiations about the mechanism to implement this structure ”said the group in a statement.

On Tuesday (1st.Jul.2025), US President Donald Trump had announced that Israel accepted the necessary conditions to finalize a ceasefire with Hamas. The Israeli Republican and Premier, Benjamin Netanyahu, should meet on Monday (7.Jul) in Washington.

The proposal provides for the progressive liberation of Israeli hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners maintained by Israel.

Among the main requirements of Hamas is the full resumption of food supply and medical assistance to Gaza. Under the proposal, the entry of humanitarian aid in adequate amount would be immediate, with the support of the UN (United Nations) and the Red Cross.

The plan would also include a gradual military removal of Israel from certain areas of the Gaza Strip.

In addition, Hamas also wants to ensure that Israel will not resume air or terrestrial attacks after the end of the 60-day ceasefire.

An earlier truce, 2 months, ended when Israeli attacks killed more than 400 Palestinians on March 18. The war in Gaza began on October 7, 2023.

Hamas has supported the US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza and is ready to begin negotiations, reports Reuters .

According to the agency, on Friday, Hamas stated that it responded to the US ceasefire proposal in Gaza in a positive spirit.

The group is prepared to enter talks to implement the agreement, which includes the release of hostages and negotiations to end the conflict.

The official website of the movement states that Hamas has completed internal consultations, as well as discussions with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the latest proposal from mediators on stopping aggression against our people in Gaza.

“The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit. Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework,” the statement says.

At the same time, a Palestinian representative of a militant group affiliated with Hamas stated that concerns remain regarding:

humanitarian aid;

passage through the Rafah crossing point into Egypt;

clarity about the schedule for the withdrawal of Israeli forces.

Reuters notes that this indicates potential challenges that the parties to the conflict still face.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump announced a final proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the nearly 21-month-long war between Israel and Hamas, stating that he expected a response from the parties within hours.

Additionally, on Tuesday, he posted on social media that Israel had agreed to the necessary conditions to end the 60-day ceasefire, during which efforts would be made to stop the war involving the US ally in the Palestinian enclave.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has yet to comment on Trump’s statement, and in their public statements, the parties remain far apart.

Netanyahu to meet with Trump

Recently, Bloomberg reported that Netanyahu will visit the White House on Monday to meet with Trump.

“Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet with President Donald Trump at the White House on July 7, according to Israeli and US officials, as the administration urges its ally to end the war in Gaza and secure the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas,” Bloomberg wrote.

Additionally, on Monday, the White House stated that it is working on finalizing the date for the meeting.

Cairo/Tel Aviv: Hamas said it had responded on Friday in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal and was prepared to enter into talks on implementing the deal, which envisages a release of hostages and negotiations on ending the conflict.

In a statement on its official website, Hamas said it was “fully prepared” to enter negotiations “in all seriousness”.

Palestinians survey the destruction at a school used as a shelter after it was struck by an Israeli airstrike in Gaza City. Credit: AP

US President Donald Trump had earlier announced a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire in the almost 21-month-old war between Israel and Hamas, stating he anticipated a reply from both sides in the coming hours.

The BBC reported that the plan is thought to involve the staggered release of 10 Israeli hostages by Hamas and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Fifty hostages are still being held in Gaza, at least 20 of whom are believed to be alive.