Hamas on Friday said it had given a positive response to a proposal for a ceasefire with Israel mediated by Egypt and Qatar and that it was ready to start talks "immediately". Earlier this week, US President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to the terms of a 60-day truce proposal and urged Hamas to accept the deal.

Hamas is consulting other Palestinian factions before responding to a US-backed ceasefire and hostage deal mediated by Qatar and Egypt.

Hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by Israeli strikes in recent days. And aid distribution has been marred by violence, with hundreds killed on their way to try to obtain food from the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), the controversial US-backed aid initiative.