Israel-Gaza ceasefire hopes rise despite another day of violence

Hopes are rising that a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas could be agreed within days.

Belief is growing after Tuesday's social media post by U.S. President Donald Trump stated that Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalise the pause in fighting.

In his post Trump said a "final" proposal would be delivered by the mediators, Qatar and Egypt, following a "long and productive" meeting between his representatives and Israeli officials.

"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump's statement said, without specifying the conditions.

There is growing public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-long war, a move strongly opposed by hardline members of his right-wing ruling coalition.

Trump is set to meet Netanyahu at the White House next Monday.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar wrote on X on Wednesday that a majority within the coalition government would back an agreement that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza.

"If there is an opportunity to do so - we must not miss it!", he wrote on X. Of 50 hostages still held, around 20 are believed to be still alive.

A Hamas official declined immediate comment on Trump's statement. A source close to the group said leaders of the Islamist faction were expected to debate the proposal and seek clarifications from mediators before giving an official response.

At the end of May, Hamas had said it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, which Trump's envoy Steve Witkoff said was "totally unacceptable."

That proposal had involved a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians; Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees the end of the war.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid wrote on X on Wednesday that his party could provide the government with a safety net if hardline members of the Israeli cabinet opposed a deal, effectively pledging not to back a no-confidence motion in parliament that could topple the government.

Hamas has said it is willing to free remaining hostages in Gaza under any deal to end the war, while Israel says it can only end if Hamas is disarmed and dismantled. Hamas refuses to lay down its arms.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas's 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

Gaza attacks continue

More than 30 Palestinians were reportedly killed in Israeli attacks across Gaza on Wednesday morning.

Sources in the territory's hospitals told Al Jazeera this number included six killed in a drone strike on tents housing displaced people in al-Mawasi, west of Khan Younis in southern Gaza. 

On the ground in southern Gaza, civil defense spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in the attack. 

Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.

AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tent structures blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

Further north, Bassal said four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.

Al Jazeera also said an Israeli air attack on a house in the Tuffah neighbourhood of Gaza City killed four Palestinians, including two children. 

On Tuesday the Israeli military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza, "eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites".

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 56,647 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.