U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday said there “could be a Gaza deal” next week and that he was “optimistic” after what he described as a “positive” response from the Palestinian group Hamas to a U.S. proposal.
Asked aboard Air Force One how optimistic he was about a ceasefire deal, Trump said "very," but added "it changes day to day".
In response to reports Hamas had responded positively to proposed truce talks, he said: "That's good. They haven't briefed me on it. We have to get it over with. We have to do something about Gaza."
Hamas said it "has submitted its positive response" to Egyptian and Qatari mediators and was "fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework."
A Hamas official said the group seeks guarantees for a full withdrawal of Israeli forces and a lasting truce.
Trump reportedly promised that a 60-day ceasefire could be extended if needed.
The ceasefire push came amid continued violence.
At least 20 Palestinians were killed Friday while attempting to access aid, according to officials at Nasser Hospital in Khan Younis.
The UN said 613 Palestinians have been killed in the last month while seeking food.
Israeli airstrikes on Gaza's Muwasi area killed 15 people, including eight women and a child, according to local hospitals. Israel's military said it was reviewing the incidents.
The current war began when Hamas-led militants attacked Israel, killing 1,200 people and taking around 250 hostages, on Oct. 7, 2023.
Gaza health officials said more than 57,000 Palestinians have since been killed.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,200 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since late 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
