NEW ADMINISTRATIVE CAPITAL, Egypt — There was a muted response from Israel after Hamas said it had agreed to the latest proposal from Arab mediators for a ceasefire in Gaza and to free the remaining hostages.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty told NBC News Tuesday that the deal was based on a proposal by President Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy, Steve Witkoff, for a 60-day ceasefire, during which some of the remaining 50 hostages would be released and the sides would negotiate a lasting ceasefire and the return of the rest.
He added that the proposals would allow for “the flow of humanitarian and medical aid into Gaza as soon as possible to address the ongoing starvation there.”
“The ball is now in Israel’s court. We would like a positive response from them as soon as possible in order to deal with the disastrous situation in Gaza, especially the starvation and the killing of civilians,” he said. “Even if it is only a 60-day truce, it provides a window of opportunity. We must apply maximum pressure on both sides to move forward,” he added.
Hamas said in a statement Monday that the militant group and other Palestinian factions had approved the proposals which were put forward by Egyptian and Qatari mediators.
Asked about that announcement, a spokesperson for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office shared a statement he made on Monday, suggesting a determinedness to push ahead a military campaign to assume full control of Gaza City in the north of the enclave. They also noted that Hamas appeared to be “under immense pressure.”
His office did not respond when asked for a further response about the proposals.
Netanyahu’s ultranationalist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich condemned the development in a statement Monday. “We fight only to win! In no way to stop in the middle, with a partial deal that will abandon half of the hostages and could lead to the war being stopped in defeat,” he said.
And President Donald Trump also appeared to dampen hopes for a truce, in a post on Truth Social on Monday. “We will only see the return of the remaining hostages when Hamas is confronted and destroyed!!! The sooner this takes place, the better the chances of success will be,” he wrote.
His envoy, Witkoff, pulled out of negotiations less than a month ago, accusing Hamas of not acting in good faith.
The proposals came as Palestinians in Gaza continue to grapple with a devastating hunger crisis, with humanitarian groups warning that the aid entering the enclave in recent days will not be enough to curb a rise in deaths from starvation.
Israel banned the entry of food, medicine and other vital supplies into Gaza on March 2, in the midst of its ceasefire with Hamas. After lifting the blockade in May, it allowed of trickle of aid in for weeks. But amid an international backlash and accusations of using starvation as a weapon of war, it eventually increased the amount it allowed in.
Israel has defended the blockade by saying enough aid is entering the Strip, while accusing Hamas of diverting aid, a charge Hamas and aid groups have denied. An internal U.S. government analysis found no evidence of systematic theft of aid supplies by Hamas. The Israeli military dismissed that report as “biased.”
The Palestinian health ministry in Gaza said on Monday it had recorded three new adult deaths “due to famine and malnutrition” within a 24-hour period, bringing the total death toll from starvation to 266 people, including 112 children.
With entrance by road under restrictions, some countries have carried out air drops, although they are widely considered largely ineffective and dangerous. A ship carrying 1,200 tons of food for Gaza was approaching the Israeli port of Ashdod on Tuesday in a bid to help address the crisis, according to The Associated Press.
Israel launched its offensive in Gaza following the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023 attacks in which some 1,200 people were killed and around 250 taken hostage, marking a major escalation in a decadeslong conflict.
Since then, more than 62,000 people have been killed in Gaza, including thousands of children, according to the Palestinian health ministry in the enclave, while much of the territory has been destroyed.
