An injured man carries a toddler as others search for their belongings amid the rubble, in the al-Farabi school turned shelter for displaced Palestinians, after it was hit by an Israeli strike, in Gaza City in the northern Gaza Strip on September 7, 2025. AFP
White House envoy Steve Witkoff outlined the ideas in a proposal for a captives deal that, while not finalized, sketches the basis for further talks, Israel’s Kan broadcaster reported.
Israeli media said the outline contained several broad principles, though details were not disclosed.
Witkoff also met senior Qatari officials in Paris on Thursday to discuss a framework to release the remaining Israeli captives in return for ending the war, two sources told Axios.
On Saturday, the Palestinian resistance group issued a statement saying it was willing to consider “any ideas or proposals” that would deliver a permanent ceasefire, guarantee a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, ensure the unconditional entry of aid, and secure a captive-prisoner exchange through mediated talks.
The group reaffirmed its alignment with the ceasefire framework put forward by Cairo and Doha on 18 August.
Several weeks ago, Hamas offered to release 10 captives alive and 18 bodies in exchange for a 60-day truce, but Israel rejected the proposal, demanding the return of all 48 captives it says remain in Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has since added conditions widely seen as obstructing a deal, including that Hamas disarm, Gaza be fully demilitarized, Israel retain overarching security control, and the territory be administered by “Arab forces” unaffiliated with Hamas or the Palestinian Authority (PA).
On Friday, US President Donald Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that Washington was in “very deep negotiations with Hamas.”
Obliterating shelters and towers
On Sunday, Israeli airstrikes hit shelters for displaced people and residential buildings in Gaza City, killing at least 17 people, including six children, according to medical sources.
Fifteen of the dead were in Gaza City.
The previous day, Israeli forces flattened two residential towers, including the 15-storey Sousi Tower.
Residents told the Associated Press (AP) they were given around 20 minutes to evacuate before warplanes reduced the building to rubble.
“We were sitting at home and people started shouting,” said resident Aida Abu Kas. “Some said it was a lie, and others said it was real. We went out and didn’t know what to do.”
Israel’s defence minister, Israel Katz, posted a video of the tower’s collapse with the caption: “We continue.”
On Friday, Israel destroyed the Mushtaha Tower, another Gaza City landmark housing dozens of families.
The demolitions come as Israel intensifies its military assault to occupy Gaza City, where displaced Palestinians have pitched tents among the ruins.
Thousands protest in Israel for a ceasefire deal
In Israel, thousands demonstrated in cities on Saturday night demanding a ceasefire deal that would secure the release of captives.
Protesters denounced the army’s renewed assault on Gaza City, warning that it put their relatives in greater danger.
In Jerusalem, crowds chanting “all of them now!” marched towards Netanyahu’s residence, shouting “traitor, traitor!”
In Tel Aviv, demonstrators unfurled a giant banner appealing to Trump to “save the hostages now!”
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed 64,400 Palestinians, mostly women and children, since its outbreak in October 2023
More than 160,000 others have been injured, while at least 9,000 remain buried beneath the rubble.
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