Hamas Seeks to Convey Gaza Ceasefire Plan to Trump via Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
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Hamas Seeks to Convey Gaza Ceasefire Plan to Trump via Türkiye

Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan during a meeting with Hamas leaders on Sunday (Turkish Foreign Ministry)

Hamas is pushing to promote a new ceasefire initiative for the Gaza Strip and is seeking Türkiye’s support to convey its vision to the administration of US President Donald Trump, two sources from the Palestinian group told Asharq Al-Awsat.

Speaking separately on condition of anonymity, the sources said Hamas leadership believes that its proposed “comprehensive deal” or “one-package offer” could be relayed by Turkish officials to Washington, capitalising on Ankara’s strong ties with the Trump administration.

The proposal comes as part of renewed diplomatic efforts to end hostilities in Gaza and secure broader international engagement in resolving the conflict.

Hamas is seeking Turkish support to promote a new ceasefire proposal in Gaza that includes the release of all Israeli hostages in exchange for an agreed number of Palestinian prisoners, a complete halt to hostilities, and a full Israeli withdrawal from the territory.

A Hamas delegation led by senior official Mohammed Darwish met Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan on Sunday, as well as intelligence chief Ibrahim Kalin, to discuss the group’s ceasefire vision, internal Palestinian affairs, and other regional issues.

One of the sources said Hamas is basing its push for Turkish mediation on recent comments by US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, who reportedly suggested Washington could guarantee a ceasefire if Hamas releases all hostages.

However, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and several of his ministers have publicly rejected the group’s initiative.

“The meetings in Türkiye aimed to convey a message to Turkish officials, urging them to use their strong ties with the current US administration to pass along Hamas’s proposal to Washington,” the second source said.

The sources noted that Hamas is also relying on other channels, including Qatari mediation, to relay its plan to the Trump administration, hoping to pressure Israel into accepting the terms.

According to the sources, Hamas believes the United States could play a pivotal role in brokering an agreement ahead of Trump’s anticipated visit to the region — a trip the former president reportedly wants to take while fighting in Gaza is paused.

The group’s proposal, reported by Asharq Al-Awsat last week, includes a five-year ceasefire with regional and international guarantees.

Hamas is also calling for the entry of humanitarian aid under established protocols and says it accepts the formation of an independent Palestinian committee—composed of unaffiliated technocrats—to govern Gaza, in line with an Egyptian proposal backed by Arab, Islamic, and European countries.



Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Forces Kill Man in West Bank

A Palestinian kicks away a teargas cyclinder fired by Israeli security forces guarding bulldozers demolishing the home and shops belonging to the al-Atrash family just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
A Palestinian kicks away a teargas cyclinder fired by Israeli security forces guarding bulldozers demolishing the home and shops belonging to the al-Atrash family just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
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Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Forces Kill Man in West Bank

A Palestinian kicks away a teargas cyclinder fired by Israeli security forces guarding bulldozers demolishing the home and shops belonging to the al-Atrash family just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)
A Palestinian kicks away a teargas cyclinder fired by Israeli security forces guarding bulldozers demolishing the home and shops belonging to the al-Atrash family just south of the Israeli-occupied West Bank city of Hebron on June 23, 2026. (Photo by HAZEM BADER / AFP)

Israeli forces fatally shot a Palestinian man in the occupied West Bank on Thursday, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the Israeli military confirming troops had fired at someone "throwing objects" at soldiers.

The shooting is the latest fatal incident to occur as violence surges in the occupied Palestinian territory.

In a statement, the Palestinian health ministry announced the death of 32-year-old Mustafa Taha Mustafa Al-Khatib "at dawn today after being shot by Israeli occupation forces in Salfit.”

It added that his death brought the number of Palestinians killed since the beginning of the year to 72, including 17 children, five women, and two elderly people.

When asked by AFP about the incident, the Israeli military said that "during IDF soldiers' operational activity in the area of Sarta, a terrorist threw objects at the soldiers."

"The soldiers initiated standard suspect apprehension procedures, which included warning shots into the air. After the terrorist continued attacking the soldiers and throwing objects in a manner that posed a threat to them, they responded with fire toward him," the military said, adding that "hits were identified."

A day earlier, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian man during a house raid in a town in the northern West Bank who the military described as a "terrorist.”


Israel Says will Only Withdraw Troops from Lebanon after Hezbollah Disarmed

A man with a Hezbollah flag drives past a damaged building following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A man with a Hezbollah flag drives past a damaged building following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
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Israel Says will Only Withdraw Troops from Lebanon after Hezbollah Disarmed

A man with a Hezbollah flag drives past a damaged building following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)
A man with a Hezbollah flag drives past a damaged building following a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah in the town of Nabatiyeh, southern Lebanon, Monday, June 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Mohammed Zaatari)

Israel said Thursday that it would only withdraw its forces from southern Lebanon after Hezbollah was disarmed, as the two countries engaged in US-mediated talks in Washington.

"We will not withdraw our forces from southern Lebanon as long as Hezbollah remains a threat, are not disarmed and are not demilitarised," David Mencer, a government spokesman, said in a briefing to journalists.

Under US pressure, Lebanese officials began direct talks in April with Israel in Washington. The latest three-day round of talks is due to wrap up on Thursday, Reuters reported.

Commenting on the negotiations, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the two neighbors were close to making a "commitment of intent".

Asked about the talks, Mencer said: "We are making extremely clear that our responsibility is to our northern citizens and to the whole of Israel, and we will not allow any terrorist force anywhere near our border -- which means that any redeployment of - Israeli - forces comes after, not before, but after the demilitarisation of southern Lebanon and the disarming of Hezbollah."

"We've already been in this situation in 2024," he added. "Hezbollah were supposed to be disarmed. They weren't."

Meanwhile, Senior Israeli and Lebanese officials denied on Thursday that there had been any Israeli withdrawal from occupied southern Lebanon, after a US official said Israel had pulled some troops back in a good faith gesture toward Lebanon's government.

A US State Department official said that "Israel has already taken a concrete step by pulling back from a part of its buffer zone". The so-called buffer zone is a vast area of southern Lebanon that Israeli forces are occupying north of the Israeli border.

The official described the move as "a significant demonstration of good faith toward Lebanon's legitimate government."

"The (Lebanese Armed Forces) should now move in and verifiably clear out terrorist weapons and infrastructure. This model will be repeated across South Lebanon, enabling the safe return of displaced families, reconstruction of the south, and the restoration of full Lebanese sovereignty," the official added.

A senior Israeli defense official denied there had been any kind of pullback or withdrawal by Israeli forces, and said Israel would not be withdrawing from its buffer zone.

Another Israeli military official told Reuters on Wednesday that the military had not received orders to hand over any position to the Lebanese army and that, for now, it would not permit the Lebanese army or civilians to cross into the buffer zone.

"We will not allow the Lebanese army to go south from the security line," the official said.


Lebanese State Media Says Three Killed in Israeli Strike on South

Residents arrive to inspect what is left of their homes and businesses, destroyed in Israeli military strikes, in the southern Lebanese village of Srifa on June 24, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP) /
Residents arrive to inspect what is left of their homes and businesses, destroyed in Israeli military strikes, in the southern Lebanese village of Srifa on June 24, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP) /
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Lebanese State Media Says Three Killed in Israeli Strike on South

Residents arrive to inspect what is left of their homes and businesses, destroyed in Israeli military strikes, in the southern Lebanese village of Srifa on June 24, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP) /
Residents arrive to inspect what is left of their homes and businesses, destroyed in Israeli military strikes, in the southern Lebanese village of Srifa on June 24, 2026. (Photo by FADEL itani / AFP) /

An Israeli strike on a vehicle in southern Lebanon killed three people on Thursday, Lebanese state media reported, despite a lull in the fighting between Israel and Hezbollah.

Lebanon's state-run National News Agency said "three people were killed and one person was wounded when an enemy drone targeted a... vehicle on the road between Zawtar and Mayfadoun".

It is the third deadly incident since Tuesday, bringing the number of people killed in Israeli attacks this week to seven. The strike comes as Lebanese and Israeli officials meet in Washington for a fifth round of direct negotiations.