Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

6 hours ago

California Cannot Require Background Checks to Buy Ammunition, US Appeals Court Rules

8 hours ago

Wrestling Legend Hulk Hogan Dies at 71, TMZ Reports

9 hours ago

TikTok Will Go Dark in US Without Chinese Approval of Sale Deal, Lutnick Says

9 hours ago

Meme Stock Surge Underlines Market Froth, Mostly Centered on Retail Investors

9 hours ago

Fresno County Authorities Still Searching for Missing Mother and Infant

10 hours ago

California Releases Teacher Data. It Shows Big Rise in Hispanic Teachers

10 hours ago

Biting a Bat and 5 Other Wild Moments From Ozzy Osbourne’s Life

11 hours ago

Henry Thompson Did Wonders for Fresno Airport, Leaves ‘Incredibly Big Shoes to Fill’

1 day ago
Hamas Says It Is Studying Ceasefire Proposal Labeled 'Final' by Trump
Reuters logo
By Reuters
Published 3 weeks ago on
July 2, 2025

Palestinians inspect the damage at the site of an overnight Israeli air strike on a tent sheltering displaced people, in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, July 2, 2025. REUTERS/Hatem Khaled TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Share

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

CAIRO/JERUSALEM – Hamas said on Wednesday it was studying what U.S. President Donald Trump called a “final” ceasefire proposal for Gaza but that Israel must pull out of the enclave, while Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu said Hamas would be eliminated.

Trump had said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed to the conditions needed to finalise a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas after what he described as a “long and productive” meeting between his representatives and Israeli officials.

In a statement, Hamas said it was studying new ceasefire offers it received from the mediators Egypt and Qatar but stressed it aimed to reach an agreement that would ensure an end to the war and an Israeli pullout from Gaza.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the elimination of Hamas in his first public remarks since Trump’s announcement.

“There will not be a Hamas. There will not be a Hamastan. We’re not going back to that. It’s over,” Netanyahu told a meeting hosted by the Trans-Israel pipeline.

The statements from the two sides reiterated long-held positions, giving no clues as to whether or how a compromise agreement could be reached. Trump’s announcement had raised some hope among Gazans for at least a temporary relief from war.

“I hope it would work this time, even if for two months, it would save thousands of innocent lives,” Kamal, a resident of Gaza City, said by phone.

Others questioned whether Trump’s statements would deliver long-term peace, saying it was not the first time he had said a peace deal was close.

“We hope he is serious like he was serious during the Israeli-Iranian war when he said the war should stop, and it stopped,” said Adnan Al-Assar, a resident of Khan Younis in Gaza’s south.

There is growing public pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to reach a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and end the nearly two-year-long war, a move strongly opposed by hardline members of his right-wing ruling coalition.

At the same time, U.S. and Israeli strikes on nuclear sites in Iran and a recently agreed ceasefire in last month’s 12-day conflict have put pressure on Hamas, which is backed by Tehran.

Israeli leaders also believe that, with Iran weakened, other countries in the region have an opportunity to forge ties with Israel.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said a majority within the coalition government would back an agreement that would see the release of the remaining hostages held by Hamas militants in Gaza.

“If there is an opportunity to do so – we must not miss it!”, he wrote on X. Of 50 hostages still held, around 20 are believed to be still alive.

Israeli opposition leader Yair Lapid posted that his party could provide a safety net if hardline members of the cabinet opposed a deal, effectively pledging not to back a no-confidence motion in parliament that could topple the government.

Complete End?

For Gazans, who have fled multiple times and face daily struggles to find food 21 months into Israel’s military campaign, there was a glimmer of hope but many worried that any ceasefire would only be temporary.

“We want a complete end to the war on Gaza, not like every time – a partial agreement and ceasefire that lasts a month or two, then the war returns,” said Samir Al-Masri in Khan Younis.

At the end of May, Hamas had said it was seeking amendments to a U.S.-backed ceasefire proposal, which Trump’s envoy Steve Witkoff said was “totally unacceptable.”

That proposal had involved a 60-day ceasefire and the release of half the hostages held by Hamas in exchange for Palestinian prisoners and the remains of other Palestinians; Hamas would release the remaining hostages as part of a deal that guarantees the end of the war.

“Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War,” Trump posted on Tuesday, without specifying the conditions.

A source close to the group said leaders of the Islamist faction were expected to debate the proposal and seek clarifications from mediators before giving an official response.

Gaza health authorities said Israeli gunfire and military strikes killed at least 139 Palestinians in separate attacks in north and southern areas in the past 24 hours, and the Israeli military ordered more evacuations late on Tuesday.

In response to questions from Reuters about the reports, the Israeli military stated that its operations aimed to dismantle Hamas’ military capabilities and mitigate civilian harm, without commenting on specific incidents.

Among those killed on Wednesday was Marwan Al-Sultan, director of the Indonesian Hospital in northern Gaza, in an airstrike that has also killed his wife and five children, medics say. The military had no immediate comment.

The war began when Hamas fighters stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians, and took 251 hostages back to Gaza in a surprise attack that led to Israel’s single deadliest day.

Israel’s subsequent military assault has killed more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, according to the Gaza health ministry, displaced almost the whole 2.3 million population and plunged the enclave into a humanitarian crisis.

More than 80% of the territory is now an Israeli-militarized zone or under displacement orders, according to the UN.

(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi and Alexander Cornwell; Additional reporting by Hussam al-Masri and Charlotte Greenfield; editing by Philippa Fletcher)

RELATED TOPICS:

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

DON'T MISS

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

DON'T MISS

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

DON'T MISS

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

DON'T MISS

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

DON'T MISS

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

DON'T MISS

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

DON'T MISS

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

DON'T MISS

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

DON'T MISS

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

UP NEXT

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

UP NEXT

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

UP NEXT

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

UP NEXT

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

UP NEXT

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

UP NEXT

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

UP NEXT

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

UP NEXT

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

UP NEXT

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

UP NEXT

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

3 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

3 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

3 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

4 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

4 hours ago

Madera County Authorities Dismantle Illegal Marijuana Grow Operation

4 hours ago

Israel and US Recall Teams From Gaza Truce Talks, US Says Hamas Not Showing Good Faith

5 hours ago

How Long Will Fresno’s Resort-Like Summer Weather Continue?

5 hours ago

Tulare County Judge Reduces Sentence for Teen Convicted in Killing Orosi Teacher

6 hours ago

Thai Fighter Jet Bombs Cambodian Targets as Border Battle Escalates

6 hours ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Fresno State’s first football practice of 2025 began with a flyover. While the military jet’s path may have been coincidental, t...

22 minutes ago

22 minutes ago

The Entz Era Begins at Fresno State With QB Job Up for Grabs

Miguel Lara, a Hoover High School soccer coach, was arrested Thursday for possessing child sexual abuse material, authorities said.
38 minutes ago

Hoover High School Coach Arrested on Child Pornography Charges

43 minutes ago

Hulk Hogan Is Gone, but Hulkamania Rolls On in Fresno and Around the Globe

3 hours ago

Fresno Brewery Teams With Japanese Sister City on Rice Lager Release

Jeffrey Epstein associate Ghislaine Maxwell stands at the podium to address Judge Alison Nathan during her sentencing in a courtroom sketch in New York City, U.S. June 28, 2022. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

US Justice Department Official Meets Epstein Associate Maxwell

3 hours ago

Clovis Police Arrest Two in Mail Theft During Organized Retail Crime Detail

4 hours ago

California Political Lobbying Firm Agrees to Settle Federal Fraud Allegations

Lara Trump, daughter-in-law of U.S. President Donald Trump, looks on, before President Trump signs the "Genius Act", which will develop regulatory framework for stablecoin cryptocurrencies and expand oversight of the industry, at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 18, 2025. (Reuters File)
4 hours ago

Lara Trump Skips North Carolina US Senate Race, Clears Way for Cooper Versus Whatley

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend