Hamas Open to Gaza Truce               07/02 06:03

   Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with 
Israel, but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal announced by 
President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position 
that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.

   CAIRO (AP) -- Hamas suggested Wednesday that it was open to a ceasefire 
agreement with Israel, but stopped short of accepting a U.S.-backed proposal 
announced by President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its 
longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.

   Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in 
Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The U.S. 
leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to 
broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.

   Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war -- 
something Israel says it won't accept until Hamas is defeated. He said that a 
deal might come together as soon as next week.

   But Hamas' response, which emphasized its demand that the war end, raised 
questions about whether the latest offer could materialize into an actual pause 
in fighting.

   Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said that the militant group was "ready and 
serious regarding reaching an agreement."

   He said Hamas was "ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the 
complete end to the war."

   A Hamas delegation is expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in 
Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. 
The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn't authorized to 
discuss the talks with the media.

   Israel and Hamas disagree on how the war should end

   Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and 
Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any 
deal.

   Hamas has said that it's willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less 
than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli 
withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.

   Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms 
and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.

   An Israeli official said that the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal 
that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in 
humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the U.S. would provide 
assurances about talks to end the war, but Israel isn't committing to that as 
part of the latest proposal, the official said.

   The official wasn't authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal 
with the media and spoke on condition of anonymity.

   It wasn't clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, 
but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.

   Israel has yet to publicly comment on Trump's announcement. On Monday, Trump 
is set to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, 
days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top 
U.S. officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.

   Trump issues another warning

   On Tuesday, Trump wrote 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.

   Trump's warning may find a skeptical audience with Hamas. Even before the 
expiration of the war's longest ceasefire in March, Trump has repeatedly issued 
dramatic ultimatums to pressure Hamas to agree to longer pauses in the fighting 
that would see the release of more hostages and a return of more aid for Gaza's 
civilians.

   Still, Trump views the current moment as a potential turning point in the 
brutal conflict that has left more than 56,000 dead in the Palestinian 
territory. The Gaza Health Ministry doesn't differentiate between civilians and 
combatants in its death count, but says that more than half of the dead are 
women and children.

   Since dawn Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed a total of 40 people across the 
Gaza Strip, the Health Ministry said. Hospital officials said four children and 
seven women were among the dead.

   The Israeli military, which blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because 
it operates from populated areas, was looking into the reports.

   The war began on Oct. 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern 
Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.

   The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of 
the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90% of Gaza's 2.3 
million population has been displaced, often multiple times. And the war has 
sparked a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people 
toward hunger.