Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will convene a security cabinet meeting on the evening of July 4 to discuss a proposal formulated by Hamas for a possible truce in Gaza and the simultaneous release of hostages. This news comes from sources close to Netanyahu, cited by various international media outlets. On July 3, Israel received Hamas’s response to a proposal brokered by Joe Biden and made public in recent weeks, calling for the release of some 120 hostages held in Gaza and a simultaneous ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
According to a Reuters report that spoke to sources close to Hamas, the group that controls Gaza, it has shown some flexibility, which bodes well for an agreement. Now the ball is on the side of Israel, which Biden should have pressured through negotiations with Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, according to Palestinian sources, the death toll in Gaza has surpassed 38,000 as the 9 months of war approaches. To be precise, the number of deaths is 38,011, according to an Al Arabiya report citing Gaza’s health minister. This number includes at least 58 people killed in the last 24 hours, while the number of wounded in Gaza since October 7, 2023 has reached 87,445.