CAIRO/TEL AVIV. Hamas announced on Friday that it had responded “in a positive spirit” to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal for Gaza and is ready to begin talks on implementing the deal, which includes the release of hostages and steps toward ending the nearly 21-month-old war with Israel.
The statement, released on Hamas’ official website, said the group had concluded internal consultations and discussions with Palestinian factions before submitting its reply to mediators. “The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit,” it said. “Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”
U.S. President Donald Trump earlier introduced what he called a “final proposal” for a 60-day ceasefire and said he expected responses within hours. Speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, Trump welcomed Hamas’ tone. “They said they gave me a positive response? Well, that’s good,” he said, although he noted he had not yet been briefed. “There could be a Gaza deal next week.”
Despite the cautious optimism, concerns remain. A Palestinian official from a group allied with Hamas said key issues still needed to be addressed, including humanitarian aid delivery, access through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, and a clear timetable for Israeli troop withdrawals.
An Egyptian security official said Hamas’ response “includes positive signs that an agreement is near,” though some of the group’s demands still require negotiation.
Trump said Israel had already agreed “to the necessary conditions to finalise” the ceasefire. Still, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to meet Trump in Washington on Monday, has not publicly commented. Netanyahu has repeatedly stated that any deal must include the disarmament of Hamas, a condition the group has refused to discuss. Israeli media reported that the government had received Hamas’ response and was reviewing it.
Meanwhile, violence on the ground continued. Health officials in Gaza reported that at least 138 Palestinians were killed over the past 24 hours. In southern Gaza’s Khan Younis, an Israeli airstrike on a tent encampment around 2 a.m. killed 15 displaced civilians, according to staff at Nasser Hospital.
The Israeli military said its operations in the area targeted Hamas militants, seized weapons, and struck 100 locations across Gaza, including military sites and weapons facilities.
Grieving families in Gaza began burying the victims on Friday. Among them was 13-year-old Mayar Al Farr, who said her brother Mahmoud was shot and killed while trying to collect aid. “He went to get a bag of flour for us to eat. He got a bullet in his neck,” she said through tears.
In Tel Aviv, families and supporters of hostages still held in Gaza staged a protest outside the U.S. embassy on American Independence Day. Fifty empty chairs were set up at a symbolic Sabbath dinner table, each representing one of the captives. Protesters urged Trump to secure a deal. “Only you can make the deal. We want one beautiful deal. One beautiful hostage deal,” said Gideon Rosenberg, who wore a shirt featuring Avinatan Or, one of the hostages believed to be still alive.
An official familiar with the negotiations said the current proposal includes the release of 10 hostages during the 60-day ceasefire, along with the return of the bodies of 18 others believed to have died in captivity.
Ruby Chen, whose 19-year-old son, Itay, was among those taken by Hamas on October 7, called on Netanyahu to return from Washington with a deal. “Bring them back,” he said. Itay, an American-Israeli and also a German citizen, was serving in the Israeli military when Hamas launched its surprise attack, killing approximately 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking 251 hostage.
Israel’s retaliation has devastated Gaza, displacing most of the enclave’s more than 2 million residents. According to local health officials, over 57,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, have been killed since the war began.
