The statement came ahead of a visit on Monday by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Washington, where President Donald Trump is pushing for an end to the war.
Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians since it began in October 2023, with women and children making up the majority of the dead, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry. Independent reports indicate the true number is likely even higher.
Two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt and the United States have seen a temporary halt in Israel's relentless bombardment, coupled with the return of Israeli captives seized by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners arbitrarily detained by Israel.
"The movement is conducting consultations with leaders of Palestinian forces and factions regarding the proposal received... from the mediators," Hamas said in a statement early Friday.
Hamas suggested Wednesday it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel but stopped short of accepting the US-backed proposal announced by Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Trump on Thursday said he wanted "safety" for people in Gaza, as he prepared to host his ally.
"I want to see safety for the people of Gaza. They've gone through hell," he said.
60-day truce proposal
A Palestinian source familiar with the negotiations told AFP earlier this week that there were no fundamental changes in the new proposal under discussion compared to previous terms presented by the United States.
The source said the new proposal "includes a 60-day truce, during which Hamas would release half of the living Israeli captives in the Gaza Strip, in exchange for Israel releasing a number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees".
Earlier this week, Israel's top diplomat Gideon Saar said any chance to free the captives "must not be missed", after Trump urged Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel's backing.
Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war — something Israel says it will not accept.
He said a deal might come together as soon as next week.
Nearly 21 months of Israel's war on Gaza have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military onslaught, killing nearly 100 on a daily basis.
Out of 251 captives seized by Palestinian fighters, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead. For months, Israel has carpet bombed the Gaza Strip, killing tens of thousands of Palestinians, including some Israeli captives.
On Friday, Gaza's civil defence agency said that overnight Israeli strikes killed at least 15 people.
Civil defence official Mohammad al-Mughayyir told AFP that seven people, including a child, were killed in an Israeli air strike on displaced people's tents near the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis.
Mughayyir said eight more people were killed in two other strikes on tent encampments on the coast of Khan Younis, including one that killed two children early Friday.
More than 300 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces in the last 48 hours, according to the Gaza Government Media Office, which says Israel has “committed 26 bloody massacres” in that period.
At least 118 Palestinians were killed and 581 others injured in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip in the past 24 hours, Gaza's Health Ministry said on Thursday.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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