Hamas says it has responded to a US proposal for a temporary ceasefire, reiterating long-standing demands of "a permanent ceasefire, a comprehensive withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and ensure the flow of aid to our people and our families in the Gaza Strip,"
None of these conditions were included in the original draft proposal by the US, which Israeli officials have accepted.
In a statement, Hamas said 10 living Israeli hostages and 18 deceased ones would be released in exchange for "an agreed upon number of Palestinian prisoners."
According to the initial US proposal, the fighting would stop for 60 days and see the release of some of the 58 hostages still held in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and much-needed food aid and other assistance, according to Hamas and Egyptian officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
It makes no explicit guarantee of a permanent end to the war.
Food trucks raided
Palestinians in Gaza blocked and offloaded 77 food trucks, the UN World Food Programme said, as hunger mounts following Israel's blockade of the territory. The WFP said the aid, mostly flour, was taken before the trucks could reach their destination.
The nearly three-month blockade on Gaza has pushed the population of over 2 million to the brink of famine. While pressure slightly eased in recent days as Israel allowed some aid to enter, aid organisations say far from enough food is getting in.
The United Nations said earlier this month that Israeli authorities have forced them to use unsecured routes within areas controlled by Israel's military in the eastern areas of Rafah and Khan Younis, where armed gangs are active and trucks have been stopped in the past.
Israeli strikes continue
Israel has in the mean time continued its military campaign across Gaza, saying it struck dozens of targets over the past day. Health officials in Gaza have said at least 60 people were killed by Israeli strikes in the past 24 hours.
The ministry said three people were killed by Israeli gunfire early Saturday in Rafah. Three others were killed — parents and a child — when their car was struck in Gaza City. An Israeli strike hit another car in Gaza City, killing four. And an Israeli strike hit a tent sheltering displaced people in Khan Younis, killing six, said Weam Fares, a spokesperson for Nasser Hospital.
The war began when Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, 2023, killing around 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and taking 250 hostages. Of those taken captive, 58 remain in Gaza. Israel believes 35 are dead and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said there are “doubts” about the fate of several others.
Israeli strikes have killed more than 54,000 Gaza residents, mostly women and children, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between civilians and combatants in its tally.
