Daijiworld Media Network - DEIR AL-BALAH

DEIR AL-BALAH, May 31: Hamas is still weighing a US-brokered proposal for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, even as Israeli airstrikes killed at least 27 Palestinians on Friday, according to hospital officials.

The proposed truce, already accepted by Israeli officials, was met with skepticism from Hamas. Still, US President Donald Trump voiced optimism about the talks: "They're very close to an agreement on Gaza," he told reporters in Washington. Later, he added: "They're in a big mess. I think they want to get out of it."

While details remain under wraps, sources familiar with the negotiations — including a Hamas official and an Egyptian mediator — said the deal would pause hostilities for 60 days. During that time, Hamas would release 10 living hostages and several bodies in exchange for Israel freeing more than 1,100 Palestinian prisoners. Israel would also pull back to positions held before the last ceasefire ended.

In addition, the agreement would guarantee daily humanitarian aid convoys, bringing much-needed food and supplies to Gaza, where experts warn of a deepening famine under a months-long blockade.

Hamas confirmed it is consulting other Palestinian factions on the US plan. UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric urged all sides to "find the political courage" to make a deal.

The proposal reportedly includes commitments to pursue a lasting truce and ensure that hostilities do not resume after any hostage release, addressing concerns raised by Hamas following a similar breakdown in March.

Qatar’s UN ambassador, Alya Ahmed Saif Al-Thani, said Friday that talks are ongoing with the US and Egypt to resolve the crisis: "We are very determined to find an ending to this horrific situation in Gaza."

Yet, on Thursday, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim dismissed the plan, saying it fails to meet key Palestinian demands, including a complete end to the fighting and famine relief.

Meanwhile, violence continued unabated. Airstrikes on a tented area in Khan Younis killed 13 people, eight of them children. Another 12 bodies, including three women, were brought to Shifa Hospital from the Jabaliya refugee camp. At least 72 people died in Gaza on Thursday alone, though casualties from some hospitals in the north — cut off by fighting — are not included in that total.

Since the conflict erupted with Hamas’ October 7, 2023 attack on Israel — which killed around 1,200 people and saw 250 taken hostage — more than 54,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza Health Ministry. That figure does not differentiate between civilians and combatants.

Of the original 250 hostages, 58 remain in Gaza, though Israel believes 35 are dead. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has expressed uncertainty about the fate of several others.

For many Gazans, the possibility of a ceasefire brings little comfort after repeated failed negotiations.

“This is the war of starvation, death, siege and long lines for food and toilets,” said Mohammed Abed from Deir al-Balah. He described waiting hours for a small portion of rice, feeding his family just once a day.

“It’s heartbreaking that people are being starved because of politics,” he said. “Food and water should not be used for political purposes.”

Another resident, Mohammed Mreil, said simply, “We want to live and we want them [Israelis] to live. God did not create us to die.”