At least 78 Palestinians were killed in Gaza in Israeli air strikes over the past 24 hours, local media reported on Monday.
More casualties in the Gaza Strip
The Ministry of Health notes that Palestinians are being killed while trying to get humanitarian aid. “Israeli troops keep shelling the Palestinian enclave, killing at least 78 people in the last 24 hours,” the ministry said in a statement.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, 743 local residents have been killed and more than 4,800 wounded in recent weeks near distribution centres of the Gaza Humanitarian Relief Fund (GHF), organised with the support of Israel and the United States. In total, more than 57,300 people have been killed and nearly 136,000 wounded since the start of the conflict.
Negotiations for a long-awaited ceasefire
Earlier, media reported that the US would act as a guarantor of a ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian movement Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The amendments made by the Palestinian movement Hamas to Qatar’s proposal for a settlement in the Gaza Strip are unacceptable to Israel, according to a statement from the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The amendments were conveyed to the Israeli side on the evening of July 4, the office said. The Israeli negotiating team flew to Qatar for meetings on July 6, the prime minister’s office concluded.
Sky News Arabia previously reported, citing sources, that the ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip would include US guarantees that Hamas and Israel would not resume hostilities during and after the 60-day ceasefire.
According to one of the channel’s sources, the draft agreement also provides for the redeployment and subsequent withdrawal of Israeli troops from the enclave. The document is also expected to set out a timetable for the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, distributed by a US-backed fund.
60-day truce proposal
The United States’ proposal for a 60-day truce has been under discussion for the past few months. According to Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera, it includes the release of living Israeli hostages and the transfer of bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in several stages. Israel must halt all offensive activities and, after the exchanges, redeploy its troops to the southern part of the sector.
In addition, on the first day of the truce, negotiations on a permanent ceasefire will begin. US President Donald Trump said on July 2 that Israel had agreed to the “necessary conditions” after talks with American representatives and expressed hope that Hamas would support the deal “for the sake of the Middle East.”
The Times of Israel, citing a source close to the negotiations, reported that Hamas had responded positively to the proposal. According to The Times of Israel’s source, Hamas’ response contained “three reservations on key issues.” These are the “difficult obstacles” that remain to be overcome.
