Rebel group Hamas declared on Saturday that it is “ready to start negotiations immediately” on a United States‑backed agreement aimed at silencing the guns in Gaza, even as Israeli air‑raids claimed dozens more lives.
The announcement followed a Thursday assault in which Israeli forces killed 50 Palestinians, a figure released by the Gaza Health Ministry and regarded by the United Nations as credible. Raids continued overnight into Saturday, causing a further 18 deaths before dawn.
Among the latest strikes was a blast at Al‑Shafi School that left at least five people dead and dozens hurt. Hours later, warplanes hit the Abu Breik family home in Maghazi refugee camp, killing two and wounding many more.
Hamas’s statement came after consultations with other factions, including its main ally Islamic Jihad. While expressing support for negotiations, Islamic Jihad demanded “guarantees that the current process would ultimately result in a permanent ceasefire, unlike previous occasions where Israel denied moving forward”.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu is due in Washington next week where United States president Donald Trump is pressing for what he called an “end to the deadly invasion” of the enclave. Speaking aboard Air Force One, Trump welcomed the militant group’s shift. He said it was a “good development that Hamas had responded in ‘positive spirit’ to yet another US‑brokered peace proposal in Gaza”, adding that there “could be a ceasefire deal in Gaza by next week”, although he admitted he had not yet been briefed on the latest details.
Also read: Israel has agreed to ceasefire, says Trump; warns Hamas to comply
Hamas’s overture marks the first time in months that the group has publicly agreed to engage on the framework drafted by Washington, Cairo and Doha, which envisages phased pauses in fighting, the release of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, and discussions on Gaza’s post‑war governance.
Israel’s government has yet to comment formally, though officials have repeatedly insisted that any ceasefire must ensure the dismantling of Hamas’s military capacity. Previous mediation efforts collapsed when the two sides could not agree on sequencing withdrawals, prisoner exchanges and guarantees of non‑resumption of hostilities.
Gaza’s Health Ministry said Israel’s offensive has killed at least 57,268 people and wounded 135,625 since the war erupted last year. Humanitarian agencies warn that the civilian toll is climbing amid shortages of food, medicine and fuel.
Diplomats in Cairo and Doha said shuttle talks would resume “within days” if Israel signals acceptance of the latest terms. Regional analysts caution that entrenched mistrust, domestic politics in Israel and factional rivalries within Gaza could yet derail a fragile opening.
For now, the readiness expressed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad has injected a glimmer of hope into a conflict that has devastated the strip and shaken the wider Middle East. Whether that hope can survive the next round of diplomacy may hinge on the outcome of Netanyahu’s Washington visit and the willingness of all parties to translate words into tangible concessions.
Follow us
