JERUSALEM, July 2, 2025 (BSS/AFP) - 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.

- Children covered in blood -

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".

- Ceasefire push -

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.