WAR & PEACE Israel & Hamas ‘close to agreeing six-week Gaza ceasefire in just 24 hours’ after at least 30,000 killed in all-out war

 Hamas has said that a temporary ceasefire could be achieved within "24 to 48 hours" if Israel agreed to its demands.

The proposed ceasefire agreement is understood to last for six weeks, allowing a halt to fighting and the release of hostages during the holy month of Ramadan.

Hamas' deputy chief of staff in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayyas, has arrived in Cairo today to take part in ceasefire talks that began yesterday in Doha, Qatar.

A senior US official has said the path to a ceasefire is "straightforward" as both sides prepare to restart talks, Sky News reports.

"Literally right now there is a path to a ceasefire

Straight. And there is a deal on the table.

There is a framework deal. "The Israelis have more or less accepted it."

“The responsibility now lies with Hamas.”

This came after the militant group received a draft proposal from the Gaza peace talks in Paris, a senior source close to the discussions said on Tuesday.

Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar drafted the proposal that includes the release of hostages by Hamas in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a six-week ceasefire.

Israel is said to have provisionally accepted the deal which will begin with the release of the wounded, the elderly and female hostages.

It is understood that Hamas has studied this proposal last week and may reach an agreement with Israel today.

But there are fears that the agreement may still break down as Hamas has not yet announced its demands.

Israel-Hamas explain proposed ceasefire agreement

US President Joe Biden said Israel is ready to halt its military activities in Gaza for the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan - but only if there is a deal to release hostages still held by militants.

He expressed hope that a temporary ceasefire could be possible "by next Monday" to end the bloodshed in Gaza.

During the temporary pause, negotiations will continue on the release of the remaining hostages held by the terrorists.

"My national security adviser tells me we're close," Biden told reporters Monday.

“We're close. We're not done yet.

"I hope we will have a ceasefire by next Monday."

He said in an interview: "Ramadan is coming and there has been an agreement by the Israelis that they will not engage in activities even during Ramadan, so that gives us time to get all the hostages out."

The president's appearance came hours before Reuters reported details of the draft resolution.

The humanitarian crisis in Gaza has sparked global concern as Israel's allies warn it must protect civilians in the ongoing fight against Hamas.

Just days earlier, dozens of Palestinians were killed after being crushed by humanitarian aid trucks entering northern Gaza.

The Israel Defense Forces said that residents surrounded trucks and looted supplies before crushing them.

But Gaza health officials claimed the victims were shot by Israeli forces as they waited for aid delivery on Thursday.

Authorities estimate that at least 104 people were killed and more than 280 injured in the tragedy near Gaza City.

Daniel Hagari, the IDF's chief military spokesman, said the soldiers opened fire as a warning shot because they felt threatened.

He said: "We did not open fire on those seeking aid. Contrary to allegations, we did not open fire on humanitarian aid convoys, neither from the air nor from the ground.

"We secured it so it could reach northern Gaza."

An Israeli government spokesman initially said that the victims died when aid trucks driven by Palestinians drove into the crowd.

However, an Israeli military official later alleged that the victims died in two separate incidents when a convoy of trucks passed from the south into northern Gaza using the main coastal road.

A second incident was said to have occurred hundreds of yards north of the stampede near a north-south checkpoint crossing.

After the lorries passed on the coastal road, people "posing a threat" reportedly approached Israeli forces – who then opened fire.

The White House is also looking into reports of Israeli shooting and called what occurred today a "serious incident."

A White House National Security Council spokesperson said: “We mourn the loss of innocent lives and recognize the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, where innocent Palestinians are just trying to feed their families.

"This underlines the importance of increasing and maintaining the flow of humanitarian assistance to Gaza, including a possible temporary ceasefire."

Shortly after the honor event, Washington announced it would send vital aid to war-torn Gaza, which the United Nations warns could be on the brink of deadly famine.

And yesterday, three American C-130J Super Hercules cargo planes dropped 38,000 meals and other humanitarian aid onto the war-torn land.

Israel launched its operation in Gaza after the militant group attacked southern Israel on October 7, when militants killed 1,200 people and took about 250 others hostage.

The idea is to impose a month-long pause in the fighting amid growing fears that only a few dozen hostages may be rescued.

At least 30 of the remaining 130 hostages are confirmed dead, but many more may have died under horrific conditions in the Hamas terrorist tunnel network.

Netanyahu said that once the ceasefire in fighting ends, his forces will pressure and destroy the remaining Hamas battalions in Rafah, the last stronghold.

Nearly 30,000 Palestinians have been killed since the conflict began, according to the health ministry, which does not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.

Israel's military last week claimed it had destroyed a huge underground tunnel complex that was being used by Hamas.

It is said that this tunnel extended for six miles between the Turkish-Palestinian Friendship Cancer Hospital and Isra University.

The chief operating officer of the Nahal Brigade combat team, identified only as Major Ron, said: "During our raid, we discovered an 18-metre deep tunnel beneath the hospital, which had access to both the southern and northern parts of the hospital. There were two exits."

He added: "Throughout the war, we have seen Hamas using civilian infrastructure, i.e. hospitals, kindergartens, schools and more, to dig tunnels and dispose of weapons, which we also found inside the Turkish hospital "

The Israel Defense Forces said the tunnel was used by Hamas's Zeitoun Battalion and other brigades to move around the Strip, and contained underground rooms containing toilets, storage areas and the bodies of Palestinian activists killed in raids by Israeli troops. Were.

But Dr. Subhi Schick, director of the Turkish hospital, told The Times that the hospital has no ties to Hamas activity.