Cairo [Egypt], July 2 : Hamas on Wednesday indicated a willingness to consider a ceasefire with Israel but stopped short of accepting a US-backed proposal unveiled earlier by President Donald Trump, maintaining its demand that any agreement must result in a complete end to the war in Gaza, The Washington Post reported.
Trump stated on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsened. He said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war -- a condition Israel says it won't accept until Hamas is defeated. Trump added that a deal could come together as early as next week.
Hamas' response, which emphasised its demand that the war must end, cast doubt on whether the offer could translate into a genuine halt in fighting. Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the group was "ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement" and was "ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war."
A Hamas delegation was expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official who spoke on condition of anonymity, not being authorized to speak to the media.
As The Washington Post noted, throughout the nearly 21-month-long conflict, ceasefire negotiations have repeatedly stalled over disagreements between Israel and Hamas on how the war should conclude. Hamas has insisted it is prepared to release the remaining 50 hostages -- fewer than half of whom are believed to be alive -- in return for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Israel, however, has maintained that it will not agree to end the war unless Hamas surrenders, disarms, and goes into exile -- demands the group has refused. An Israeli official said the latest proposal includes a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a sharp increase in humanitarian aid.
Mediators and the US would provide assurances about further talks to end the war, but Israel is not formally committing to that in the current offer. The official spoke anonymously due to lack of authorization to comment publicly.
Trump on Tuesday issued another warning, writing on social media that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War."
"I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better -- IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE," he said.
The Washington Post reported that Trump has issued multiple ultimatums to Hamas in recent months to pressure the group into agreeing to extended ceasefires that would allow for the release of more hostages and increased humanitarian aid.
Despite efforts, the war continues to devastate Gaza. Since dawn Wednesday, Israeli airstrikes killed 40 people across the Gaza Strip, including four children and seven women, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. The Israeli military, which accuses Hamas of operating from civilian areas, said it was investigating the reports.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and abducting approximately 250 hostages. The fighting has since left Gaza in ruins, with most urban areas flattened, over 90% of the 2.3 million residents displaced, and hundreds of thousands facing hunger in what has become a deepening humanitarian crisis, The Washington Post reported.