The Japan Times - Hamas mulls truce proposals after Trump Gaza ceasefire push

Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations against Hamas militants.

The civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 33 people on Wednesday.

Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.

Hamas said in a statement Wednesday it was "conducting national consultations to discuss" the proposals sent by mediators.

It said it aimed "to reach an agreement that guarantees ending the aggression, achieving the withdrawal (of Israeli forces from Gaza) and urgently aiding our people in the Gaza Strip".

Trump is due to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week.

- Hostage release drive -

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he saw "some positive signs" in the process.

"We are serious in our will to reach a hostage deal and a ceasefire," he said. "Our goal is to begin proximity talks as soon as possible."

He said earlier on X that any chance for a deal that would lead to hostages being freed in Gaza "must not be missed".

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants in October 2023, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP "there are no fundamental changes in the new proposal" under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.

The source said the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".

- Israeli air strikes -

In southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the Al-Mawasi area.

Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.

AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tents blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

One man held a pack of nappies, asking: "Is this a weapon?"

"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed... What did they do?" said another resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.

AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: "Children, children!"

Among other fatalities, Bassal later reported five people killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.

They were the latest in a string of deadly incidents that have hit people waiting for food.

- Hospital director killed -

Among fatalities further north, Palestinian officials and witnesses said an Israeli strike killed the director of the Indonesian Hospital, a key facility in northern Gaza.

Doctor Marwan Al-Sultan was killed in his apartment in Gaza City along with his wife, daughters and son-in-law, a relative who said he found them, Ahmed al-Sultan, told AFP.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it "is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in line with "international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm".

Asked to comment on the death of the doctor, it said reports of harm to civilians in a strike on Gaza City were "being reviewed".

On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza.

It said in a statement Wednesday that a 19-year-old sergeant in its forces "fell during combat in the northern Gaza Strip".

It said its air force had intercepted two "projectiles" that crossed from northern Gaza into Israeli territory.

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers its figures reliable.

K.Okada--JT