US President Donald Trump told reporters aboard his Air Force One that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza could be reached as early as next week, the AP reported.
He also said it was good that Hamas had responded with a "positive spirit" to the ceasefire proposal.
"The New York Times" reported that Izz ad-Din al-Haddad, the new leader of Hamas's military wing, said that either an "honorable deal" would be reached to finally end the war in Gaza, or the conflict would turn into "a war of liberation or a war of martyrs".
We recall that Trump announced on Tuesday that Israel had accepted the terms of a 60-day ceasefire with Hamas, during which the parties would work to achieve a lasting peace.
Nearly 1,200 people, mostly civilians, were killed in the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and 251 were taken hostage.
The Israeli offensive in response has devastated much of Gaza, with local authorities saying that more than 57,000 Palestinians, most of them civilians, have died so far.