Israeli strikes kill 44 in Gaza, Hamas on board with Trump ceasefire proposal

At least 44 Palestinians were killed in Israeli strikes across the Gaza Strip in the early hours of Saturday, with the death toll expected to climb throughout the day.

The latest bloodshed comes amid reports that Hamas had given its preliminary approval to a proposal by US President Donald Trump to end the war.

Most of the casualties have been in Gaza City, where the Israeli military has focused its recent offensive for weeks, displacing around 700,000 people who have moved south of the Strip.

Entire neighbourhoods in the city have been flattened, but hundreds of thousands are still believed to be trapped inside, unable or refusing to leave.

Deaths in Gaza City included at least 10 in Tuffah neighbourhood and six in the Shati (Beach) refugee camp.

In the central Gaza Strip, at least nine Palestinians were killed when a home was struck in the Nuseirat refugee camp, Al Jazeera reported.

Another four people, including two children, where killed in a drone strike in the camp, a source at al-Awda Hospital told Al Jazeera.

Israel’s extreme-right government announced plans last month to occupy the besieged coastal enclave, drawing global anger and condemnation.

Israel's war on Gaza is now widely acknowledged as a genocide.

More than 65,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since the war began nearly two years ago, most of them women and children, according to the territory’s health ministry. 

The death toll is believed to be much higher, with thousands of uncounted victims buried beneath the rubble of destroyed buildings.

Hamas on board with Trump proposal

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu – wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes in Gaza – has constantly obstructed a ceasefire deal despite months of mediation efforts led by Qatar, Egypt, and the US.

Hamas, which Netanyahu claims must be destroyed to end the war, has said it was ready for any ceasefire proposal in Gaza that includes an immediate cessation to hostilities, the entry of humanitarian aid, and an Israeli military withdrawal.

Trump said Friday that a deal was close and Israeli captives still being held in Gaza could soon be released. Around 50 are believed to remain in Gaza, with only 20 thought to be alive.

Citing informed sources, Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Hamas had given preliminary approval to a proposal by Trump to end the war. The proposal includes the immediate release of all captives as well as Hamas giving up governance in the Strip.

According to the paper’s sources, Qatar played a role in persuading Hamas to agree to the framework of the deal, and Trump is reportedly seeking to solidify the agreement during his meeting with Netanyahu on Monday.

People of Gaza forced to listen to Netanyahu's UN speech

As Netanyahu took to the podium on Friday at the UN General Assembly’s 80th session, the Israeli military set up giant speakers across Gaza, forcing its residents to listen to his speech.

The taunting tactic was slammed online.

"How did the Nazis use propaganda? Broadcasting Nazi speeches on the radio and public speakers," sports journalist Leyla Hamed wrote on X.

Ori Goldberg wrote: "Netanyahu's office has instructed the IDF to place loudspeakers around Gaza so Palestinians can listen to his speech at UNGA.

"There are no more fronts to be opened so he is resorting to the most crass, fantastic pyrotechnics. Stick a fork in us; we're done."