Hamas Responds With ‘Positive Spirit,’ Sparking Hope in Gaza

Hamas stated on Friday, July 4, 2025, that it has responded in “a positive spirit” to a U.S.-mediated ceasefire proposal for Gaza.

Local media says the group expressed its readiness to engage promptly in negotiations to implement the agreement, which envisions a hostage exchange and a framework to halt the war.

Earlier, U.S. President Donald Trump unveiled what he described as a “final proposal” for a 60‑day ceasefire in the nearly 21‑month-long conflict between Hamas and Israel.

He indicated that responses from both sides were expected within hours.

That evening, Hamas confirmed via its official website, “The movement has delivered its response to the brotherly mediators, which was characterized by a positive spirit.

“Hamas is fully prepared, with all seriousness, to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”

Israeli media reported that officials in Israel had received Hamas’s response and were in the process of reviewing it.

Sources cited by The Guardian suggested that Hamas leaders are close to agreeing to the ceasefire, though they seek stronger assurances that a pause in fighting will lead to lasting peace.

The organization has come under increasing pressure in recent months, its military leadership largely dismantled and its fighters withdrawn from key areas in southern and central Gaza.

In recent days, Israel has stepped up airstrikes, resulting in over 250 Palestinian fatalities, including many children and women, according to medical and civil defense officials.

Major Israeli offensive tactics have forced Hamas’s hard-line factions to reluctantly accept a ceasefire to regroup and reassess their strategy, sources familiar with internal discussions noted.

Since the collapse of the last truce in March, the Gaza conflict has claimed more than 6,000 lives and exacerbated an already severe humanitarian crisis.

The ceasefire proposal gained renewed momentum after the U.S. helped broker a truce in the 12-day Israel-Iran confrontation last month.

On Tuesday, Trump stated that Israel had agreed to the terms of a 60-day ceasefire, during which both parties would work toward ending the broader war.

Asked Thursday whether Hamas had agreed, he replied: “We’ll see what happens.

“We are going to know over the next 24 hours.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to fly to Washington on Sunday for talks with Trump concerning the Gaza conflict, recent tensions with Iran, and other regional matters.

Netanyahu has long been hesitant to endorse a permanent end to the Gaza war, in part to maintain backing from far-right factions in his ruling coalition.

However, Israel’s recent military success against Iran has strengthened his political standing, with polls indicating widespread public support for a ceasefire deal.

A senior Israeli official told Channel 12, “Judging by the signals from Hamas, there is a high probability that we will start proximity talks in the next few days.

If there is consent to proximity talks, there will be a deal.”

Other Israeli officials told Reuters that preparations are advancing for a ceasefire endorsement.

Also, an Israeli delegation is being readied for indirect talks brokered by Qatar and Egypt, contingent on a favorable Hamas reply.

Under the proposal, 10 Israeli hostages held in Gaza since Hamas’s October 2023 attack would be released, along with the bodies of 18 others.

In exchange, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails would be freed, according to sources close to the discussions.

Out of 251 hostages taken by Hamas in 2023, fewer than half of the remaining 50 in Gaza are presumed alive.

The deal also includes the immediate delivery of humanitarian aid into Gaza and a phased Israeli military withdrawal from select areas, followed by negotiations for a permanent ceasefire.

Mike Huckabee, U.S. ambassador to Israel, told Channel 12 on Thursday: “One thing is clear: the president wants it to be over.

The prime minister wants it to be over. The American people, the Israeli people, want it to be over.”

Securing more aid for Gaza has been a central demand from Hamas throughout negotiations.

Israel’s tightened blockade since March was only slightly eased in May after international pressure mounted amid famine warnings.

A BBC report on Friday cited a former Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) staffer claiming that personnel fired on civilians seeking aid, with several seriously injured.

The GHF refuted the allegations, stating no civilians were shot, and the Israeli military said it only fired warning shots and observed international law protocols.

While en route to an Iowa rally on Thursday, President Trump commented: “I want the people of Gaza to be safe.

“That’s more important than anything else.

“They’ve gone through hell.”

That same day, Netanyahu visited Nir Oz, the kibbutz hardest hit by Hamas’s 2023 incursion, where nearly one-quarter of residents were killed or kidnapped.

He pledged strong leadership, affirming, “I feel a deep commitment… to ensure the return of all of our hostages.”

Netanyahu continues to face criticism for his perceived failure to address lapses before the 2023 attack and is accused of prioritizing his political interests over the hostages’ safety.

Meanwhile, Gaza’s Health Ministry, which the UN and most Western governments consider reliable, estimates over 57,000 Gazans, mainly civilians, have died in Israel’s prolonged campaign.

The Israeli military maintains that it operates under international law and takes precautions to minimize civilian harm while targeting militant operations

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