"We're close to a deal": Trump announces "very close" Gaza ceasefire

Washington presents a ceasefire plan for Gaza, which Israel, according to the US, has agreed to. Hamas is still hesitating. US President Trump is increasing pressure on the terrorist organization and announcing that a conclusion is imminent.

According to US President Donald Trump, a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip could be imminent. "They're very close to an agreement on Gaza," Trump told reporters at the White House during a farewell ceremony for presidential adviser Elon Musk. There will be more information on this "later today or perhaps tomorrow."

According to the White House, Israel on Thursday agreed to a new ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, which Trump and Special Envoy Steve Witkoff had forwarded to Hamas, which governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas then declared that the proposal did not meet its demands and was discussing it.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz warned the Palestinian organization not to agree to the US proposal. The Israeli army is operating in "full force" in the Gaza Strip, and Hamas must now choose, Katz explained, adding: "The Hamas murderers will now be forced to choose: either accept the terms of the 'Witkoff Deal' for the release of the hostages—or be destroyed."

UN food warehouse looted

Meanwhile, another food warehouse was looted in the Gaza Strip. A group of armed men stormed a warehouse at a field hospital in Deir al-Balah, said a spokesperson for UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The group stole large quantities of medical equipment, food supplies, medicines, and nutritional supplements for malnourished children. The looting appears to have been "much more organized" than similar incidents in the past, the spokesperson emphasized.

According to the Hamas-run Civil Defense Agency, 45 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip on Friday. Seven of them died in an attack on a family's home in Jabalia in the northern Palestinian territory.

Hamas and its allied fighters triggered the Gaza War with their unprecedented large-scale attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. According to Israeli sources, around 1,210 people were killed, and 251 were taken hostage to the Gaza Strip. In response to the Hamas attack, Israel has since launched a massive military offensive in the Gaza Strip. According to figures from the Hamas-controlled Ministry of Health, which cannot be independently verified, more than 54,000 people have been killed so far.