Israel's Top Diplomat Urges Seizing Chance After Trump Ceasefire Push

Israel's top diplomat on Wednesday said any chance to free hostages held in Gaza "must not be missed", after US President Donald Trump urged Palestinian group Hamas to agree to a 60-day ceasefire that he said had Israel's backing.

Nearly 21 months of war have created dire humanitarian conditions for the more than two million people in the Gaza Strip, where Israel has recently expanded its military operations against Hamas militants.

The civil defence agency said Israeli forces killed at least 33 people on Wednesday.

Trump on Tuesday urged Hamas to accept a 60-day ceasefire, saying Israel had agreed to finalise such a deal.

Without directly mentioning Trump's remarks, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said that "a large majority within the government and the population is in favour of the plan to free the hostages" held by Hamas in Gaza.

"If the opportunity arises, it must not be missed!" Saar wrote on X.

Out of 251 hostages seized by Palestinian militants during Hamas's 2023 attack that triggered the war, 49 are still held in Gaza, including 27 the Israeli military says are dead.

On the ground in southern Gaza, civil defence spokesman Mahmud Bassal told AFP that five members of the same family were killed in an Israeli air strike on Wednesday that hit a tent housing displaced people in the coastal Al-Mawasi area.

Despite being declared a safe zone by Israel in December 2023, Al-Mawasi has been hit by repeated Israeli strikes.

AFP footage from the area showed makeshift tent structures blown apart as Palestinians picked through the wreckage trying to salvage what was left of their belongings.

One man held a pack of nappies, asking: "Is this a weapon?"

"They came here thinking it was a safe area and they were killed... What did they do?" said another resident, Maha Abu Rizq, against a backdrop of destruction.

AFP footage from nearby Khan Yunis city showed infants covered in blood being rushed into Nasser Hospital. One man carrying a child whose face was smeared with blood screamed: "Children, children!"

Some appeared terrified while others lay still on hospital beds in bloodied bandages and clothes as medics treated them.

Further north, Bassal said four people from the same family were killed in a pre-dawn Israeli air strike on a house in Gaza City, and another five in a drone strike on a house in the central Deir el-Balah area.

Bassal later reported seven killed in a strike in Gaza City, five more killed by Israeli army fire near an aid distribution site close to the southern city of Rafah, and a further death following Israeli fire near an aid site in the centre of the territory.

They are the latest in a string of deadly incidents targeting those waiting for much-needed food aid.

He said a further four people were killed in an air strike on a tent for displaced people southwest of Gaza City and two in an air strike on a school housing displaced people in Gaza City's Zeitun neighbourhood.

Media restrictions in Gaza and difficulties in accessing many areas mean AFP is unable to independently verify the tolls and details provided by rescuers.

Contacted by AFP, the Israeli military said it "is operating to dismantle Hamas military capabilities" in line with "international law, and takes feasible precautions to mitigate civilian harm".

On Tuesday the military said that in recent days its forces had expanded operations across Gaza, "eliminating dozens of terrorists and dismantling hundreds of terror infrastructure sites".

After months of stalled mediation efforts to bring an end to the war, Trump on Tuesday said on social media that a new ceasefire push has Israel's support.

"Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump said.

He added that Qatari and Egyptian mediators, who have been in direct contact with Hamas throughout the war, would deliver "this final proposal".

"I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better -- IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE."

Nadav Miran, the brother of hostage Omri Miran, told AFP that he was against a partial agreement that "would leave Hamas in place".

Such an agreement "would not ensure the return of all the hostages... they must all be brought back at once," added Miran, who is part of a grouping of hostage relatives opposed to negotiations with Hamas.

Trump is due to host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House next week.

Israel launched its offensive in response to Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack which resulted in the deaths of 1,219 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory military campaign has killed at least 57,012 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to Hamas-run territory's health ministry. The United Nations considers these figures to be reliable.