Hamas is expected to imminently respond to a US 60-day ceasefire proposal after the White House said Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to Washington’s new plan to halt hostilities in Gaza.
The Palestinian militant group is reviewing the deal, which includes sending humanitarian aid into Gaza as soon as Hamas signs off on it, as well as the return of Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas confirmed to Reuters it had received the new proposal, and would respond by Friday or Saturday.
The Israeli prime minister told the families of Israeli hostages that he has accepted the new ceasefire proposal presented by US Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff, according to local media reports.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said on Thursday that Israel had “signed off” on the ceasefire proposal, which Mr Witkoff had forwarded to Hamas for review.
“I can also confirm that those discussions are continuing and we hope a ceasefire in Gaza will take place so we can return all of the hostages home,” Ms Leavitt said at a briefing, according to Reuters.
Under the new proposal, guaranteed by US President Donald Trump as well as mediators in Qatar and Egypt, Hamas would release 28 of the remaining 58 living and dead Israeli hostages in the first week of the 60-day ceasefire, in exchange for the release of 1,236 Palestinian prisoners and the remains of 180 dead Palestinians.
Humanitarian aid would flow into Gaza as soon as Hamas agrees to the deal, and the plan stipulates the militant group would release the remaining 30 hostages once a permanent ceasefire is in place.
Under the plan, Israel would also cease all military operations in Gaza once the truce takes effect.
Senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said on Thursday that the terms of the proposal echoed Israel’s position and did not contain commitments to end the war, withdraw Israeli troops or admit aid as Hamas has demanded.
Israel, meanwhile, has ordered the closure of al-Awda Hospital, the last functioning medical facility in northern Gaza, forcing health officials to urgently relocate remaining patients and staff.
The forced closure of the hospital comes amid a deepening humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza as Israel’s tightening blockade continues to strangle the besieged Palestinian territory.
Recent attempts to distribute scarce food supplies – led by a controversial group backed by the US and Israel called the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation – remained chaotic on Thursday, with scenes of disorder at designated distribution points.
Several explosions were heard and Israeli gunfire reported near a distribution centre in central Gaza early on Friday.
Philippe Lazzarini, head of the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, said “starvation is threatening the future of the children” in the Palestinian enclave.
“What’s urgently needed is a political will to allow the UN and partners to provide assistance at scale without hindrance or interruption,” Lazzarini said in a post on X. “Allow us to do our work.”
As the starving Palestinians frantically attempted to find food, Israeli forces continued to conduct strikes across the territory, killing at least 70 people since early Thursday.
Gaza’s health ministry condemned the Israeli order to shut down al-Awda Hospital, describing it as a “continuation of the violations and crimes” against the territory’s healthcare system.
Health officials said the hospital’s closure followed fresh Israeli evacuation orders on Thursday, affecting large numbers of residents in the northern and eastern areas of Gaza City.
In a statement, the health ministry urged “all concerned sides to ensure protection for the health system in the Gaza Strip as guaranteed by international and humanitarian laws”.
According to the World Health Organization, at least 97 people, including 13 patients, remain at al-Awda. The agency said it was planning a mission on Friday to evacuate them to another hospital.
“Due to impassable roads, the hospital’s medical equipment cannot be relocated,” the WHO noted.
According to the Guardian, the Israel Defence Forces issued a new evacuation order for a broad section of northern Gaza late Thursday, instructing residents of Al-Atatra, Jabalia, and the Gaza City neighbourhoods of Shujaiya and Al-Zaytun to move west.
The Israeli military said these areas would be deemed “dangerous combat zones” with immediate effect.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed more than 54,000 Palestinians so far, according to the local health ministry, left the territory in ruins and displaced most of its 2.2 million inhabitants. The latest war on Gaza began in October 2023 after around 1,200 Israelis were killed and 251 taken hostage during a Hamas attack on southern Israel.
With additional reporting from Reuters
