The Japan Times - Hamas says holding consultations on Gaza truce proposal

The statement came ahead of a visit on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where President Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the war.

The conflict in Gaza began with Hamas's unprecedented attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which sparked a massive Israeli offensive aimed at destroying Hamas and bringing home all the hostages seized by militants.

Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have seen temporary halts in fighting, coupled with the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

"The movement is conducting consultations with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions regarding the proposal received... from the mediators," Hamas said in a statement early Friday.

Hours earlier, Netanyahu vowed to bring home all the hostages held by militants in Gaza, after coming under massive domestic pressure over their fate.

"I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them," Netanyahu said.

Trump said on Thursday he wanted "safety for the people of Gaza".

"They've gone through hell," he said.

- 60-day truce proposal -

A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week there were no fundamental changes in the latest proposal compared to previous terms presented by the United States.

The source said the proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip -- thought to number 22 -- in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

The military said in a statement it had been striking suspected Hamas targets across the territory, including around Gaza City in the north and Khan Yunis and Rafah in the south.

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.

- Deadly Israeli fire -

Gaza civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir said Israeli fire killed at least 40 people on Friday, updating an earlier toll of 15.

The Israeli military said it was looking into the reports, except two incidents for which it requested coordinates and timeframes.

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

Mughayyir said those killed included five who were shot while waiting for humanitarian aid near a US-run site near Rafah in southern Gaza and one who was waiting for aid near the Wadi Gaza Bridge in the centre of the territory.

They were the latest in a spate of deadly shootings near aid distribution centres in the devastated territory, which UN agencies have warned is on the brink of famine.

At Nasser hospital in Khan Yunis, crowds mourned people killed on Thursday by what the civil defence agency said was shooting close to a nearby aid centre.

"I lost my brother in the American distribution centre that they set up to feed people," cried one mourner, Narmin Abu Muammar.

"They are killing people, not feeding them."

Bereaved mother Nidaa al-Farra said her 19-year-old son Eyad too had been killed while waiting for food.

"My son went to get flour and they say: 'Here is the aid, come here.' And when they go, they shoot them."

The US- and Israeli-run Gaza Humanitarian Foundation has distanced itself from reports of deadly incidents near its sites.

- Strikes reported on displacement camps -

The civil defence official told AFP that eight people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on the tents of displaced civilians near Khan Yunis.

Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on camps on the coast, including one that killed two children early Friday.

Contacted by AFP on the earlier toll, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

The Hamas attack of October 2023 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 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers the figures reliable.

M.Yamazaki--JT