Gaza (TDI): Hamas on Saturday signaled its readiness to begin immediate negotiations on a ceasefire in Gaza, as Israel’s ongoing military operations reportedly killed at least 20 people across the territory.
The announcement came following internal consultations among Palestinian factions and just ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to Washington, where President Donald Trump has been pressing for a resolution to the 21-month-old conflict.
In a statement, Hamas said it was prepared to “engage immediately and seriously in a cycle of negotiations” on the terms of a draft ceasefire proposal backed by the United States and relayed by mediators.
Israeli officials confirmed they had received Hamas’s response but had yet to decide on their next move, according to AFP. “No decision has been made yet on that issue,” one government official said, with Israeli media reporting that the security cabinet would convene after the end of the Sabbath.
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Islamic Jihad, a key ally of Hamas, also voiced support for entering talks but stressed the need for international guarantees that Israel would not resume military action once any hostage exchange takes place.
President Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on Friday, offered a brief reaction. “That’s good. They haven’t briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza,” he said.
Previous truces brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the US resulted in short-lived halts to the fighting and saw limited exchanges of hostages and prisoners. But recent rounds of talks have collapsed, largely over Hamas’s insistence on assurances that any future ceasefire be permanent — a demand Israel has so far refused.
A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations said that the latest US-backed proposal included a 60-day pause in hostilities. During that period, Hamas would release about half of the living Israeli captives, roughly 22, in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners.
Of the 251 hostages taken during Hamas’s October 2023 assault on Israel, the Israeli military says 49 remain in Gaza, including 27 believed to be dead.
Read More: Hamas Reviews US-Backed Gaza Ceasefire Plan
The humanitarian situation in Gaza continues to deteriorate, with ongoing Israeli airstrikes and ground operations. Civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal said Saturday that at least 20 people were killed across Gaza in the latest attacks, including five in a strike on a school in Gaza City.
Another airstrike near a second school sheltering displaced civilians reportedly killed three and injured at least 10, including children.
Farkhund Yousafzai is an Associate Editor at The Diplomatic Insight.
