Donald Trump says Gaza ceasefire possible 'next week' after Hamas responded with 'positive spirit' to negotiations

The US President shared the development on the Middle East tensions with reporters on board Air Force One on Friday but said he had not been briefed on the current state of negotiations, Reuters reports.

Trump said Hamas had responded with a. "positive spirit" to the latest ceasefire proposal, which is being brokered by the US.

The Palestinian group said in a statement: "Hamas has completed its internal consultations with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the mediators’ latest proposal to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza.

They added: “The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework.”

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The ceasefire plan is understood to include the staggered release of 10 living Israeli hostages and the bodies of 18 other hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli prisons.

There are fifty hostages being held in Gaza, with 20 of these thought to be alive.

One of Hamas' core requirements is the delivery of unrestricted food and medical aid into Gaza.

The ceasefire proposal allegedly says sufficient quantities would enter the territory immediately with the support of the United Nations and Red Cross.

It is reported that the plan would also include a phased Israeli military withdrawal from parts of Gaza.

Hamas calls for a guarantee that Israeli air and ground operations will not resume after the end of the 60-day ceasefire.

The ceasefire proposal is understood to detail negotiations on an end to the war and the release of the remaining hostages would begin on day one.

On Tuesday, Trump said Israel had accepted the conditions necessary for a 60-day ceasefire as he prepares to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House next week.

The Israeli military continued to bomb targets across the Gaza Strip before Hamas's response to the ceasefire proposal yesterday.

Gaza's Hamas-run health ministry said that Israeli attacks on Friday had killed at least 138 Palestinians in 24 hours.

The Israeli military has not yet commented on the strikes but it did say its military were "operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities".

US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee told Israel's Channel 12 TV on Thursday: "We sure hope it's a done deal, but I think it's all going to be what Hamas is willing to accept.

"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."

Meanwhile, Benjamin Netanyahu promised to secure the release of all remaining hostages during his visit to Kibbutz Nir Oz - a community close to the Israel-Gaza border where 76 residents were abducted during the 7 October 2023 attacks led by Hamas.

Netanyahu said: "I feel a deep commitment, first of all, to ensure the return of all of our hostages, all of them."We will bring them all back."

However, he did not commit to ending the war and has said this won't happen until the hostages are released and Hamas' military and governing operations are dismantled.

Around 1,200 people were killed and 251 others taken hostage in the October 7 attacks.The Israeli military launched a campaign in Gaza in response to the attack.

The territory's Hamas-run health ministry has said at least 57,130 people have been killed in Gaza since then.