Hamas says it’s open to a Gaza truce but stops short of accepting a Trump-backed proposal

By FATMA KHALED SAMY MAGDY and BASSEM MROUE Associated Press 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 stated by President Donald Trump hours earlier insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza Trump stated Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a -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 cabinet and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war Related Articles This day in History July Civil Rights Act signed into law Mexican banks face cascading consequences following US sanctions US won t send several weapons pledged to Ukraine following a Pentagon review of military assistance Barcelona records hottest June and Eiffel Tower s summit closes as Europe sizzles Hurricane Flossie could become a major hurricane off the Pacific coast of Mexico Trump noted the -day period would be used to work toward ending the war something Israel says it won t accept until Hamas is defeated He stated 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 mentioned that the militant group was ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement He declared 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 -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 reported that it s willing to free the remaining hostages less than half of whom are mentioned 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 commented that the latest proposal calls for a -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 explained 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 numerous hostages would be freed as part of the agreement but previous proposals have called for the release of about 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 administrators 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 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 announced EDS NOTE GRAPHIC CONTENT Abdel Hadi Bashir mourns over the bodies of his two daughters Sabah and Mira who were killed in an Israeli army airstrike of the Gaza Strip at the Al-Aqsa Hospital morgue in Deir al-Balah Wednesday July AP Photo Abdel Kareem Hana 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 feasible turning point in the brutal conflict that has left more than dead in the Palestinian territory The Gaza Wellbeing 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 people across the Gaza Strip the Soundness Ministry mentioned Hospital executives commented 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 when Hamas-led terrorists attacked southern Israel killing people and taking roughly hostages The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting More than of Gaza s million population has been displaced often multiple times And the war has sparked a humanitarian dilemma in Gaza pushing hundreds of thousands of people toward hunger Mroue announced from Beirut Associated Press writer Josef Federman in Jerusalem contributed to this summary