Hamas open to end Gaza war, release all hostages, but demands this from Israel in return, it is...

Hamas has said it is open to an agreement to end the war in Gaza. A Hamas official said on Saturday that the group is ready to release all hostages and agree to a five-year truce. Talks are ongoing in Cairo, where Hamas negotiators are meeting with Egyptian mediators, according to AFP.

On the ground, Israeli airstrikes continue. Rescuers said at least 35 people were killed on Saturday. In Gaza City, a strike on the Khour family home killed 10 people and trapped about 20 others under the debris.

Hamas said they are willing to exchange prisoners all at once and not in stages. They also want a full end to the war, an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, and more humanitarian aid. Earlier this month, Hamas rejected an Israeli offer that proposed only a 45-day ceasefire in exchange for 10 hostages. Hamas called that offer "partial" and insisted on a "comprehensive" deal.

Senior Hamas official Mahmud Mardawi said the group wants strong guarantees to make sure the war does not start again after a deal. Another senior Hamas leader, Osama Hamdan, said they would not give up their weapons as long as Israel's occupation continues.

The fighting has been brutal. The Gaza health ministry says that at least 2,111 Palestinians have been killed since Israel resumed its campaign on March 18. The total number of Palestinians killed in the war has now reached more than 51,000. Most of the victims are civilians.

On the Israeli side, Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023, killed 1,218 people. Militants also took 251 hostages; 58 are still in Gaza, with 34 believed to be dead.

The humanitarian situation is worsening. The UN says food and medical supplies are almost gone. People are queuing for food, but supplies are running out. The World Food Programme warned that their food kitchens could close soon. A UN official said Gazans are "slowly dying" and stressed that this crisis is not just about food, but about human dignity.