Hamas says it's given 'positive' response to U.S. ceasefire proposal, but more talks needed

Hamas said Friday it has fixed a "positive" effect to the latest connection for a ceasefire successful Gaza but said further talks were needed connected implementation.

It wasn't wide if Hamas's connection meant it had accepted the connection from U.S. President Donald Trump for a 60-day ceasefire. The militant radical has been seeking guarantees that the archetypal truce with Israel would pb to a full extremity to the war, present astir 21 months old.

Trump has been pushing hard for a woody to beryllium reached, and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is owed to sojourn the White House adjacent week to sermon a deal.

The Hamas statement came arsenic Israeli airstrikes killed 15 Palestinians in Gaza early Friday, portion a infirmary said different 20 radical died successful shootings portion seeking aid.

The United Nations quality rights bureau said it has recorded 613 Palestinians killed wrong the span of a period successful Gaza portion trying to get aid. Most were killed portion trying to reach food organisation points tally by an Israeli-backed American organization, while others were massed waiting for assistance trucks connected to the UN oregon different humanitarian organizations, it said.

WATCH | Aid organizations telephone for contiguous alteration successful Gaza:

Efforts ongoing to halt the war

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed connected presumption for a 60-day ceasefire successful Gaza, during which the U.S. would "work with each parties to extremity the war." He urged Hamas to judge the woody earlier conditions worsen.

In its connection precocious Friday, Hamas said it "has submitted its positive response" to Egyptian and Qatari mediators.

It said it is "fully prepared to instantly participate into a circular of negotiations regarding the mechanics for implementing this framework." It did not elaborate connected what needed to beryllium worked retired successful implementation.

An authoritative adjacent to the talks said Hamas had respective issues it was requesting — that Israeli troops successful Gaza propulsion backmost to positions they held connected March 2 earlier it broke the erstwhile ceasefire; that assistance travel into Gaza successful capable quantities done the UN and different planetary humanitarian agencies; and that negotiations proceed beyond 60 days if needed to scope a woody for a imperishable extremity to the warfare and the merchandise of each remaining hostages being held successful Gaza.

Previous rounds of negotiations person tally aground over Hamas demands of guarantees that further negotiations would pb to the war's end, portion Netanyahu has insisted Israel would resume warring to guarantee the demolition of the militant group.

"We'll spot what happens. We're going to cognize implicit the adjacent 24 hours," Trump told reporters connected Air Force One precocious Thursday erstwhile asked if Hamas had agreed to the latest model for a ceasefire.

20 killed Friday portion seeking aid

Officials astatine Nasser Hospital successful Khan Younis said astatine slightest 3 Palestinians were killed connected Friday portion connected the roads heading to nutrient organisation sites tally by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) successful confederate Gaza.

Since the GHF began distributions successful precocious May, witnesses have said almost daily that Israeli troops person opened fire toward crowds of Palestinians on the roads leading to the nutrient centres. To scope the sites, radical indispensable locomotion respective kilometres through an Israeli subject portion wherever troops power the road.

The Israeli subject has said antecedently it fires informing shots to power crowds oregon astatine Palestinians who attack its troops. The GHF has denied immoderate superior injuries oregon deaths connected its sites and says shootings extracurricular its contiguous vicinity are nether the purview of Israel's military.

On Friday, successful absorption to the UN rights agency's report, it said successful a connection that it was investigating reports of radical killed and wounded portion seeking assistance and that it had fixed instructions to troops successful the tract based connected "lessons learned" from reviewing the incidents. It said it was moving astatine "minimizing imaginable friction betwixt the population" and Israeli forces, including by installing fences and placing signs connected the routes.

Separately, witnesses person said Israeli troops person opened occurrence connected crowds of Palestinians who stitchery successful military-controlled zones to hold for assistance trucks entering Gaza for the UN oregon different assistance organizations not associated with the GHF. The crowds are usually made up of radical hopeless for nutrient who drawback supplies disconnected the passing trucks, and equipped gangs person besides looted trucks.

On Friday, 17 radical were killed waiting for trucks successful eastbound Khan Younis, in the Tahliya area, officials astatine Nasser Hospital said.

Three survivors told the AP they had gone to hold for the trucks successful a subject "red zone" successful Khan Younis and that troops opened occurrence from a vessel and drones.

It was a "crowd of people, whitethorn God assistance them, who privation to devour and live," said Seddiq Abu Farhana, who was changeable successful the leg, forcing him to driblet a container of flour helium had grabbed. "There was nonstop firing."

Airstrikes besides deed the Muwasi country connected the confederate extremity of Gaza's Mediterranean coast, wherever hundreds of thousands of Palestinians driven from their homes are sheltering successful structure camps. Of the 15 radical killed successful the strikes, 8 were women and 1 was a child, according to the hospital.

Israel's subject said it was looking into Friday's reported airstrikes. It had nary contiguous remark connected the reported shootings surrounding the assistance trucks.

UN investigates shootings adjacent assistance sites

Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN quality rights office, said the bureau was not capable to property work for the killings. But she said "it is wide that the Israeli military has shelled and shot at Palestinians trying to scope the organisation points" operated by GHF.

In a connection to The Associated Press, Shamdasani said that of the full tallied, 509 killings were "GHF-related," meaning astatine oregon adjacent its organisation sites.

In a connection connected Friday, the GHF formed uncertainty connected the casualty figures, accusing the UN of taking its casualty figures "directly from the Hamas-controlled Gaza Health Ministry" and of trying "to falsely smear our effort."

Shamdasani told the AP that the information "is based connected our ain accusation gathering done assorted reliable sources, including medical, quality rights and humanitarian organizations."

Rik Peeperkorn, the World Health Organization typical for the Palestinian territories, said Nasser Hospital, the biggest infirmary operating successful confederate Gaza, receives dozens oregon hundreds of casualties each day, astir coming from the vicinity of the nutrient organisation sites. The overwhelmed infirmary has go "one monolithic trauma ward," helium said. WHO supports Nasser Hospital and different wellness facilities.

The International Committee of the Red Cross besides said successful precocious June that its tract infirmary adjacent 1 of the GHF sites has been overwhelmed much than 20 times successful the erstwhile months by wide casualties. It said radical had been connected their mode to the nutrient organisation sites, and "the immense bulk of patients suffered gunshot injuries."

Also connected Friday, Israel's subject said it was investigating aft 2 soldiers were killed successful combat successful the northbound of Gaza. More than 860 Israeli soldiers person been killed since the warfare began, including much than 400 during the warring successful Gaza.

The Israeli subject besides issued caller evacuation orders connected Friday successful northeast Khan Younis, successful confederate Gaza, and urged Palestinians to determination westbound up of planned subject operations against Hamas in the area. The caller evacuation zones pushed Palestinians into progressively smaller spaces by the coast.

The Health Ministry successful Gaza said the fig of Palestinians killed successful the territory has passed 57,000. The ministry does not differentiate betwixt civilians and combatants successful its count, but says much than fractional of the dormant are women and children. The ministry is tally by aesculapian professionals employed by the Hamas government, and its numbers are wide cited by the UN and planetary organizations.

The warfare began when Hamas-led militants attacked confederate Israel connected Oct. 7, 2023, killing astir 1,200 radical and taking astir 250 hostages.