Hamas says Holding Consultations on Gaza Truce Proposal

"I feel a deep commitment, first and foremost, to ensure the return of all our abductees, all of them," Netanyahu told inhabitants of the Nir Oz kibbutz, the community that saw the most hostages seized in the 2023 Hamas attack.

Trump on Thursday said he wanted "safety" for people in Gaza, as he prepared to host his ally.

"I want to see safety for the people of Gaza. They've gone through hell," he said.

  60-day truce proposal 

A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week that there were no fundamental changes in the new proposal under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.

The source said the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".

Earlier this week, Israel's top diplomat Gideon Saar said any chance to free the hostages "must not be missed", after Trump urged Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel's backing.

Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations against Hamas militants.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during the October 7 attack, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

On Friday, Gaza's civil defense agency said that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people.

Civil defense official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Yunis.

Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Yunis, including one that killed two children early Friday.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it could not comment on specific attacks without precise coordinates, but noted it was "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by the civil defense.

Israel's military campaign has killed at least 57,130 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.

Source: AFP