Diplomatic efforts to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip continued amid renewed military escalation and a rising death toll. Meanwhile, the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, announced that it was studying a new proposal from mediators for a temporary truce lasting for sixty days.
In response, US President Donald Trump stated that he expected a response from the movement within 24 hours, describing the proposal as the"final" attempt to end the nearly two-year-old war.
The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said in a statement on Friday that it is consulting with Palestinian factions about the initiative, while an informed source stated that the movement is demanding clear guarantees that the truce will include negotiations leading to a permanent end to the war, with the possibility of extending it if the talks do not lead to an agreement within the specified deadline.
According to Palestinian sources, the proposal calls for Hamas to release half of the living hostages held in Gaza in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners. Pressure from the hostages' families on the Israeli government to agree to the agreement continues.
A protest was held in front of the US embassy in Tel Aviv, coinciding with US Independence Day, attended by relatives of the detainees, calling on Trump to intervene to complete the deal.
Banners hung at the protest site featuring a post attributed to Trump on Truth Social that read:"Make the deal in Gaza. Bring back the hostages!" A symbolic Shabbat table was set up with 50 empty chairs representing the hostages still being held in the Strip.
Although Trump confirmed that Israel had agreed to the terms of the truce, no official comment has yet been issued by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is expected to meet with the US president next week in Washington.
Israel is divided over the proposal, with far-right ministers rejecting any agreement that does not include the disarmament of Hamas, while others view the agreement as an opportunity to return the hostages.
On the ground, the death toll in Gaza rose. The Gaza Ministry of Health announced the deaths of at least 20 Palestinians in airstrikes early Friday morning. Fifteen of them died in a bombing that targeted displaced persons' tents west of Khan Yunis, and five others in Jabalia, north of the Strip.
During the victims' funerals, their families expressed their pain and anger at the continued attacks despite talk of an imminent truce."They should have made a truce a long time ago, before I lost him!" said 13-year-old Mayar al-Far, as she wept for her brother Mahmoud. Another woman called for an end to the"torrent of blood," emphasizing that "the people don't need aid as much as they need an end to the war."
The United Nations continues to warn of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, where the food crisis and mass displacement have worsened amid a years-long blockade.
The latest figures indicate that the war claimed the lives of more than 57,000 Palestinians, while approximately 1,200 people were killed in Israel during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, which also saw 251 hostages taken, at least 20 of whom are still alive today.
