US President Donald Trump has said he believes an agreement is close on a Gaza ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas and that it could be announced soon.
US officials have been waiting on a formal response from Hamas about what a source said is a proposed 60-day Gaza ceasfire deal.
It comes after the UN warned that the entire population of Gaza was at risk of famine, as an Israeli far-right minister urged the use of "full force" against Hamas.
Negotiations to end nearly 20 months of war have so far failed to achieve a breakthrough, with Israel resuming operations in Gaza in March following a short-lived truce.
Israel recently intensified its offensive in what it says is a renewed push to destroy Hamas, drawing global condemnation over the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza.
Recent footage has shown chaotic scenes as large crowds of Palestinians desperate for food rushed to a limited number of aid distribution centres to pick up supplies.
"Gaza is the hungriest place on earth," Jens Laerke, a spokesman for the UN humanitarian agency OCHA, said.
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"It's the only defined area - a country or defined territory within a country - where you have the entire population at risk of famine. 100% of the population is at risk of famine," he added.
Mr Laerke said 900 UN aid trucks had been authorised by Israel to enter so far, but only 600 had been offloaded on the Gaza side of the border, and an even smaller number had been picked up there due to security considerations.
He described the "limited number of truckloads" as "drip-feeding food".
It comes as Gaza's civil defence agency said that at least 22 people had been killed in Israeli attacks, including seven in a strike targeting a family home in Jabalia in the north.
"These were civilians and were sleeping at their homes. The house was destroyed due to the indiscriminate bombardment," said neighbour Mahmud al-Ghaf.
"Stop the war!" said Mahmud Nasr, who lost relatives.
"We do not want anything from you, just stop the war."
France may toughen stance on Israel
Adding to the international pressure, French President Emmanuel Macron said that European countries should "harden the collective position" against Israel if it did not respond appropriately to the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
"The humanitarian blockade is creating a situation that is untenable on the ground," Mr Macron said in Singapore.
"And so, if there is no response that meets the humanitarian situation in the coming hours and days, obviously, we will have to harden our collective position," Mr Macron said, adding that France may consider applying sanctions against Israeli settlers.
In response, Israel accused Mr Macron of undertaking a "crusade against the Jewish state".
The White House, meanwhile, announced yesterday that Israel had "signed off" on a new ceasefire proposal submitted to Hamas, but the Palestinian militant group said the deal failed to satisfy its demands, while stopping short of rejecting it outright.
Far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, addressing Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a Telegram post, said that "after Hamas rejected the deal proposal again - there are no more excuses".
"The confusion, the shuffling and the weakness must end," he added. "It is time to go in with full force, without blinking, to destroy, and kill Hamas to the last one."
The White House said that President Donald Trump and US envoy Steve Witkoff had "submitted a ceasefire proposal to Hamas that Israel backed".
Israel has not confirmed that it approved the new proposal.
Hamas sources said last week that the group had accepted a US-backed deal, but yesterday political bureau member Bassem Naim said the new version meant "the continuation of killing and famine and does not meet any of our people's demands, foremost among them halting the war".
"Nonetheless, the movement's leadership is studying the response to the proposal with full national responsibility," he added.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt added that discussions were "continuing" with Hamas.
Mr Naim reiterated that a review was ongoing, while a source close to Hamas said one of the group's main concerns was the lack of American guarantees that talks towards a permanent ceasefire would continue.
According to two sources close to the negotiations, the new proposal involves a 60-day truce, potentially extendable to 70 days, and the release of five living hostages and nine bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners during the first week, followed by a second exchange the next week.
Health authorities in Gaza said at least 3,986 people had been killed in the territory since Israel resumed major operations on 18 March, taking the overall death toll in Israeli attacks to 54,249, mostly civilians, since October 2023.
Hamas's attack on Israeli communities on 7 October 2023 resulted in the deaths of 1,218 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures.
Of the 251 hostages seized during Hamas's attack, 57 remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
