The White House announced that Israel had “approved” a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza that was presented to Hamas, though the militant group claimed the agreement did not meet its requirements.
Efforts to resolve over 19 months of conflict have yet to produce significant results, with Israel resuming strikes in Gaza this March following a short-lived truce.
According to the White House, President Donald Trump and U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff had “offered a ceasefire proposal to Hamas, which Israel supported”.
“Israel approved this proposal before it was delivered to Hamas,” Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt stated, noting that talks with Hamas were “ongoing”.
Israel has not publicly acknowledged its approval of the new proposal.
Hamas representatives indicated last week that the group had accepted a U.S. proposal, yet political bureau member Bassem Naim remarked that the revised deal merely meant “the continuation of violence and starvation…and does not address any of our people’s essential demands, especially ending the conflict”.
“Nevertheless, the movement’s leadership is reviewing the response to the proposal with full national responsibility,” he added.
A source close to Hamas described the revised proposal as a “step back” from the earlier version, which “included a U.S. commitment to ongoing ceasefire negotiations”.
As per two individuals familiar with the talks, the new offer suggests a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days, alongside the release of ten living hostages and nine deceased individuals in exchange for Palestinian prisoners within the first week.
‘Starvation strategies’
The humanitarian crisis in Gaza remains severe, even as aid begins to gradually flow back into the region after an Israeli blockade lasting over two months.
Experts on food security warn that one-fifth of the population faces the threat of starvation.
Israel has stepped up its military operations as part of a renewed effort to dismantle Hamas, whose attack on October 7, 2023, initiated the current conflict.
According to Gaza’s civil defense, 54 individuals were reported dead from Israeli attacks today, including 23 in a strike on a residence in Al-Bureij, and two as a result of Israeli gunfire near a U.S.-Israel-supported aid center in the Morag corridor, located in the south.
The facility, managed by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), is part of a new aid distribution system designed to prevent Hamas from accessing supplies.
Footage of the incident shows people collecting emergency food packages
This initiative has faced criticism from both the United Nations and the European Union.
“What is happening to us is dehumanizing,” expressed Sobhi Areef, who visited a GHF distribution center.
“We go there and risk our lives just to secure a bag of flour to feed our children.”
Israel’s military stated that it was not aware of the gunfire occurring near the aid center.
In Al-Bureij, they claimed to have targeted a “Hamas location” and were reviewing reports regarding civilian casualties.
In a conversation with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi accused Israel of engaging in “systematic starvation tactics” that have “transgressed all moral and legal limits”.
The aid situation has drawn significant attention amid starvation concerns and mounting criticism of the GHF, which has deviated from the long-established UN-led aid distribution framework in the region.
Israel’s ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, asserted that aid trucks have been arriving through the Kerem Shalom crossing and accused the UN of “impeding” GHF’s operations.
The United Nations affirmed that it is striving to distribute the limited aid that has been permitted into the territory.
We need your consent to load this rte-player content. We use rte-player to manage extra content that can set cookies on your device and collect data about your activity. Please review their details and accept them to load the content. Manage Preferences
‘Coerced evacuation’
Palestinians in Gaza who arrived at GHF’s new distribution center in the central Netzarim corridor described a chaotic scene.
“Some individuals created a significant uproar and rushed the aid distribution point because people are extremely hungry,” said Mohammed Abdel Aal, 29, when speaking to AFP.
“I ran, like everyone else, trying to grab an aid box.”
He left without any supplies after forces at the facility “fired bullets and grenades at us, which forced us to withdraw”.
A 17-year-old from Al-Bureij, who identified himself as Yousef, recounted a similar experience, stating that despite the gunfire, “hunger outweighs fear”.
In response, GHF claimed its “personnel encountered a tense and potentially dangerous crowd that refused to disperse”.
Read more: Latest Middle East updates
To “ensure the safety of civilians and staff, non-lethal measures were employed – including smoke and warning shots fired into the ground,” they explained.
Meanwhile, medical facilities in Gaza are facing rising pressures and repeated assaults.
Al-Awda Hospital reported that Israeli forces were “conducting a forced evacuation of patients and medical personnel”, emphasizing that it was “the only functioning hospital in the northern Gaza Strip”.
Israel’s conflict with Gaza commenced after Hamas’ October 2023 attack, which resulted in 1,218 fatalities, predominantly among civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official statistics.
Israel increased its airstrikes on Gaza earlier this month
Out of 251 hostages taken during the attack, 57 remain in Gaza, with 34 of them allegedly deceased, according to Israeli military claims.
The health ministry in Gaza reported that at least 3,986 individuals have perished in the region since Israel resumed hostilities on March 18, raising the war’s total death toll to 54,249, primarily civilians.
The Israeli military claimed that an “employee of a contracting firm engaged in engineering work” was killed in northern Gaza.
Israel also intercepted a missile launched from Yemen, a strike attributed to the Houthi movement.
