Hamas Reviews Ceasefire Proposal Amid Global Pressure, Netanyahu Set for U.S. Visit

GAZA / WASHINGTON – Hamas announced Friday it is consulting with other Palestinian factions regarding a new ceasefire proposal in the ongoing Gaza war, signaling potential readiness for renewed negotiations with Israel amid escalating international pressure.

The announcement came just days before Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Washington, where U.S. President Donald Trump is urging both sides to reach a truce. Trump said he seeks “safety for the people of Gaza”, acknowledging the suffering endured during the conflict.

According to Hamas, the movement is currently reviewing a proposal received from mediators, including Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, alongside leaders from other Palestinian forces. The consultations are ongoing, but no formal decision has been made public.

A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP that the current truce proposal mirrors previous plans: a 60-day ceasefire during which Hamas would release half of the Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, in return for the release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel.

Earlier this week, Netanyahu vowed to bring all remaining hostages home. Speaking to residents of Nir Oz kibbutz, which suffered one of the highest hostage counts during the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack, Netanyahu stated:

“I feel a deep commitment to ensure the return of all our abductees.”

Since the October 7 assault, in which 1,219 people, mostly civilians, were killed in Israel, 251 hostages were taken. Israeli authorities report that 49 remain in Gaza, with 27 presumed dead.

In retaliation, Israel launched a full-scale offensive on the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, which has since claimed the lives of at least 57,130 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza Health Ministry, a toll also regarded as credible by the United Nations.

Overnight Israeli airstrikes on Friday reportedly killed at least 15 people, including three children, in multiple attacks on displaced persons’ tent encampments near Khan Yunis, according to Gaza’s civil defence agency. The Israeli military declined to comment on the specific strikes but stated its operations are focused on dismantling Hamas military infrastructure.

Despite two previous short-term ceasefires successfully brokered by international mediators — which allowed hostage exchanges and temporary humanitarian relief — a long-term solution remains elusive.

The renewed diplomatic push, intensified by growing global concern over the humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, and domestic pressure on Netanyahu from hostages’ families, may influence the outcome of upcoming negotiations.