'No decision has been made': Israel prepares its response to the proposed truce in Gaza accepted by Hamas

Israel is preparing its response after Hamas declared itself willing to negotiate a ceasefire agreement and the release of hostages in Gaza, where Israeli army operations left 35 dead on Saturday, according to the Civil Defense.

No decision has been made on this matter at this time.

"No decision has been made on this matter at this time," an Israeli government official told AFP midday.

According to several local media outlets, the Israeli security cabinet is scheduled to meet on Saturday evening.

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas announced on Friday that it was ready to "immediately begin" negotiations on the latest truce proposal brokered by the United States and mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

According to two Palestinian sources close to the discussions, the US proposal includes a 60-day truce during which Hamas would release 10 living Israeli hostages, as well as several bodies, in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Of the 251 people kidnapped on October 7, 2023, during the Palestinian movement's attack on Israel that triggered the war, 49 remain captive in Gaza, 27 of whom have been declared dead by the Israeli military.

According to the two Palestinian sources, Hamas is demanding an improvement in the mechanism for withdrawing Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip, guarantees that fighting will not resume during the negotiations, and the resumption of humanitarian aid distribution by the UN and recognized international organizations.

US President Donald Trump, who will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on Monday, said that an agreement could be reached "as early as next week."

"We hope for a truce," Karima Al Ras, a Gazan woman, told AFP.

" The border crossings will open and the flour will be able to arrive. People are desperately waiting for flour and dying when they go to get food for their children."

On the ground, the Israeli army recently expanded its military operations in the Gaza Strip, which is facing a critical humanitarian situation nearly 21 months after the start of hostilities.

According to Mahmoud Basal, spokesman for the Gaza Civil Defense, 35 people have been killed since early Saturday morning in various Israeli operations.

"The explosion was terrifying, many shops burned, women and children were terrified ," Mohammed Khafaja told AFP. He said he lost his uncle and several of his cousins ​​in a nighttime bombing in Khan Yunis, in the south.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it was unable to comment on any specific attack in the absence of precise geographic coordinates.

The US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) announced that two American employees were injured in an attack at an aid distribution center in the southern Palestinian territory and were in stable condition.

"According to initial reports, the attack was carried out by two assailants who threw two grenades at the Americans at the end of an aid distribution that was otherwise successful," the GHF said.

Restrictions on the press in Gaza and difficulties in accessing numerous points mean that the press cannot independently verify the claims of the various parties.

The Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people in Israel, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data.

At least 57,338 Palestinians have died in the Israeli offensive in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to the Ministry of Health of this Hamas-ruled territory, statistics that the UN considers reliable.