PM says Israel will agree to start talks on permanent ceasefire once 60-day truce commences; Hamas tells mediators it won't accept updated Israeli maps of IDF partial Gaza withdrawal

Washington DC [US], July 10 (ANI): Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday said he and US President Donald Trump are fully aligned on efforts to secure a Gaza hostage deal, emphasising they both seek an agreement -- but "not at any price," The Times of Israel reported.

Trump met Netanyahu on Tuesday for the second time in two days to discuss the situation in Gaza, with the president's Middle East envoy indicating that Israel and Hamas were nearing an agreement on a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal after 21 months of war.

Hamas said on Wednesday it has agreed to release 10 hostages, while noting that current peace talks with Israel still face "difficulty" because of stiff Israeli demands. The group said it "has shown the necessary flexibility" and agreed to release 10 hostages in a bid to ensure success of current truce efforts.

Hamas agreed to release 10 hostages to support Gaza ceasefire talks, but negotiations remain difficult over aid flow, Israeli army withdrawal, and permanent ceasefire guarantees. A partial pullback proposal marks progress.

The U.S.-backed proposal for a 60-day ceasefire between Israel and Hamas envisages a phased release of hostages, Israeli troop withdrawals from parts of Gaza and discussions on ending the conflict, an official familiar with the negotiations has said.

A fter brokering a fragile ceasefire between Israel and Iran, Donald Trump is urging Israel and Hamas to make a deal that would stop the 20-month-long war in Gaza that has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians and over a thousand Israelis. “MAKE THE DEAL IN GAZA. GET THE HOSTAGES BACK!!!” the U.S. President posted on Truth Social early Sunday.

TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) — An Israeli report released Tuesday said that Hamas used sexual violence as a “tactical weapon of war” in its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, building on other investigations by international and Israeli rights groups and the United Nations.