Hamas ready and serious to reach an accord if it ends war

Gaza in ruins.

A Hamas official told the BBC the group is "ready and serious" to reach an agreement if it ends the war.

Hamas is "prepared to agree to any proposal if the requirements for ending the war are clearly met or if they lead to its complete end," said Taher al-Nunu.

Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar posted on X that there is majority support in the government "for a framework to release hostages," and this opportunity "must not be missed."

For Israel, the key component of any deal will have to be the release of most, if not all, hostages still being held in Gaza.

Of the 50 or so hostages remaining in captivity, more than 20 are still thought to be alive and their plight has been at the forefront of regular demonstrations in Israel calling for an end to war.

A recent Israeli newspaper poll suggested that a significant majority of Israelis want the war to end - but polling on Wednesday, from the Israel Democracy Institute, also suggests that most Israelis still don't trust Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, or his intentions.

Netanyahu has for months insisted on "complete victory" over Hamas before ending the war. It's unclear if his position will now change under renewed pressure from Washington - and the answer could be pivotal to reaching a deal.

Trump's announcement comes before a meeting with Netanyahu scheduled for next week, in which the US president has said he would be "very firm".

He earlier said that he believed Netanyahu wanted to end hostilities in Gaza. "He wants to. I can tell you he wants to. I think we'll have a deal next week," Trump said.

Hamas has already indicated it would be willing to agree to a ceasefire if it led to the end of the war. But without that provision, Hamas negotiators might question the value of releasing all the hostages if the Israeli military is likely to resume bombing Gaza.

Another consideration before an agreement can be signed – perhaps while Netanyahu is in Washington next week – is Hamas's demand for a partial Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, at least for the duration of the ceasefire.

The international community is also likely to lobby hard for the resumption of full-scale UN-backed aid deliveries into Gaza.

Prior to Trump's announcement, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon told the BBC Israel was "absolutely" ready for a ceasefire.

Speaking on the BBC News channel, Danon said that Hamas was "playing hardball".

"We are putting pressure on Hamas, and if they will not come to the table, the only option we will have to bring back the hostages, is to apply more military pressure," Danon said.

"The war will end when the hostages are back home," he added.

Last week, a senior Hamas official told the BBC mediators have increased efforts to broker a new ceasefire and hostage release deal in Gaza, but that negotiations with Israel remain stalled.

Trump's comments come shortly after Israel ordered evacuations in northern Gaza ahead of increased military action. At least 20 Palestinians were killed in an Israeli air strike on a seafront cafe in Gaza City on Monday, according to medics and eyewitnesses.

Israel launched a military campaign in Gaza after Hamas's 7 October, 2023 attack on Israel, in which around 1,200 people were killed. At least 56,647 have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory's Hamas-run health ministry.

The Israeli military this week also said it was examining reports of civilians being "harmed" while approaching aid distribution centres in Gaza run by the US- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF).

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said on Tuesday that as of 28 June, 408 people had been killed trying to reach aid at GHF aid sites.

More than 170 charities and other NGOs have called for the controversial group to be shut down. Organisations like Oxfam and Save the Children say Israeli forces "routinely" open fire on Palestinians seeking aid.

Israel denies this accusation and says the organisation is necessary to bypass Hamas interference in aid distribution.

In March, a previous ceasefire deal collapsed when Israel launched fresh strikes on Gaza. The Israeli military described the action as "pre-emptive strikes... based on Hamas's readiness to execute terror attacks, build up force and re-arm".

The previous ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas - which started on 19 January - was set up to have three stages, but did not make it past the first stage.

Stage two included establishing a permanent ceasefire, the return of remaining living hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.  - BBC New