Netanyahu announces his readiness to negotiate a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

  Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed his willingness to negotiate a permanent ceasefire on Thursday, at the start of a possible truce with Hamas in Gaza, as renewed Israeli shelling of the Strip killed 64 Palestinians, according to the Civil Defense.

As indirect talks between Israel and Hamas continued in Doha, Netanyahu warned that Israel would resume the war if a permanent ceasefire agreement was not reached, conditioned on Hamas disarming.

Late Wednesday evening, Hamas described the ongoing negotiations with Israel, mediated by Qatar and Egypt and under US pressure, in Doha as "difficult."

However, the movement confirmed that it was "showing the necessary flexibility and agreed to the release of ten prisoners."

"At the start of the ceasefire (60 days), we will begin negotiations on a permanent end to this war," Netanyahu said in a video from Washington. He added, "Hamas must lay down its arms, Gaza must be disarmed, and Hamas must no longer have military capabilities and govern."

He added, "If this can be achieved through negotiations, that would be good. Otherwise, we will achieve it through other means, through the power of our heroic army."

For its part, Hamas indicated that some essential points are under negotiation in the indirect negotiations, most notably the flow of aid, the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip, and the provision of real guarantees for a permanent ceasefire.

The Palestinian movement insists on the resumption of the distribution of humanitarian aid by the United Nations and recognized international organizations.

Of the 251 hostages kidnapped during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, 49 are still being held in Gaza, including 27 who Israel has declared dead.

While the families of the hostages in Gaza are demanding their release en masse, Netanyahu emphasized that this is not up to Israel.

He said in the video, "We are dealing with a brutal terrorist organization, and we want to release everyone at once. But it is not always in our hands."

In contrast, Hamas leader Bassem Naim confirmed to AFP the movement's keenness to "reach a ceasefire agreement and end the war and aggression as soon as possible."

However, he stressed that "it is unacceptable for the occupation to perpetuate our land and for our people to be handed over to isolated enclaves and cantons under the control of the occupation army."

Naim added, "What Netanyahu has failed to achieve over 22 months of war and famine, he will not bring to the negotiating table."

US President Donald Trump is pushing for a truce as soon as possible. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Thursday that he has "great hope" for an agreement.

On the ground, the Civil Defense in Gaza announced on Thursday that 64 people were killed, including 17 who died in an attack on a "medical facility in the city of Deir al-Balah in the central Gaza Strip." The Israeli army confirmed that it targeted a Hamas fighter.

Mohammed al-Mughayer, director of medical supplies for the Civil Defense, told AFP that an airstrike targeted a group of people waiting outside a medical facility in Deir al-Balah this morning.

Al-Mughayer confirmed that at least eight children were among the 17 dead.

"I and a group of citizens were standing in a long line in front of the medical point in Deir al-Balah, waiting for our turn to receive treatment and supplements for our children, when suddenly a huge explosion occurred," Mohammed Abu Odeh, who was in front of the targeted medical point, told AFP.

He added, "There was no warning, just a direct hit among civilians. What did we do, and what did our children do to deserve this?"

In response to AFP inquiries about the targeting of the medical point in Deir al-Balah, the Israeli army said its forces "targeted... a member of Hamas's elite unit."

According to the army statement, the targeted member "infiltrated" into Israel during the attack on October 7, 2023.

The war in Gaza erupted after a surprise attack launched by Hamas on southern Israel on October 7, 2023, which killed 1,219 people, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official figures.

Since then, Israel has responded with a devastating war that has killed 57,762 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, the majority of them civilians, according to the latest figures from the Hamas-run Health Ministry, which the United Nations considers reliable.