Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has pledged to bring home all hostages, "living and dead", as Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least 52 people. Netanyahu's remarks came after a Palestinian official on Monday said that Hamas has agreed to a 70-day ceasefire proposal by America, only for US envoy Steve Witkoff to later reject the notion that Hamas had accepted his offer.
An Israeli official also dismissed the proposal, saying no responsible government could accept such an agreement, as they rejected the assertion that the deal matched one proposed by Witkoff.
Later, in a recorded message on social media, Netanyahu said he "hoped very much" he would be able to deliver developments on the subject of Israel's fight against Hamas and releasing the hostages, "today and if not today then we will tomorrow".
"We intend to bring them all back, the living and the dead," he added, but made no mention of a proposed deal.
Deal Hamas Agreed To
The Palestinian official, who is close to Hamas, had told news agency Reuters that the so-called Witkoff proposal, which the group reportedly agreed to, would see the release of 10 hostages and a 70-day ceasefire and was received by Hamas through mediators.
"The proposal includes the release of 10 living Israeli hostages held by Hamas in two groups in return for a 70-day ceasefire and a partial withdrawal from the Gaza Strip," the source said.
It also included the release of a number of Palestinian prisoners by Israel, including hundreds serving lengthy prison terms.
Witkoff nonetheless disputed Hamas's claim that the group had agreed to his proposed deal, telling Reuters that what he had seen was "completely unacceptable" and the proposal being discussed was not the same as his.
Israel-Hamas War
Fighting meanwhile raged in Gaza, where civil defence agency spokesman Mahmud Bassal said that an early-morning Israeli strike on the Fahmi Al-Jarjawi school, where displaced people were sheltering, killed "at least 33, with dozens injured, mostly children".
The Israeli military said it had "struck key terrorists who were operating within a Hamas and Islamic Jihad command and control centre embedded" in the area, adding that "numerous steps were taken to mitigate the risk of harming civilians".
Another strike killed at least 19 people in Jabalia in the northern Gaza Strip, Bassal said.
Israel has stepped up a renewed offensive to destroy Hamas, since it effectively ended a January ceasefire agreement and renewed its military campaign in Gaza in March. It has also imposed a blockade on the enclave since early March, which has sparked severe food and medical shortages, drawing international condemnation.
Meanwhile, Hamas has said it is willing to free all remaining hostages seized by its gunmen in attacks on communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, and agree to a permanent ceasefire if Israel pulls out completely from Gaza.
Netanyahu has said Israel would only be willing to agree to a temporary ceasefire in return for the release of hostages, vowing that war can only end once Hamas is eradicated.
The conflict has killed nearly 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, and devastated the coastal strip. Aid groups say signs of severe malnutrition are widespread.
