Donkey and trailer trudge through the devastated Gaza Strip amid hopes of a ceasefire
A DONKEY and trailer are driven through the devastation of the Gaza Strip — as hopes rise of a ceasefire.
The bleak scenes have brought international calls for Israel to relent and it is now offering a 40-day truce.
Israeli officials are preparing to fly to the Egyptian capital Cairo to seal the long-awaited deal which would see thousands of Palestinian prisoners freed in return.
But Hamas terror master Yahya Sinwar has yet to respond to the offer, dubbed “extraordinarily generous” by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
A senior Hamas official also raised hopes of a breakthrough, declaring the terror group had no “major issues” with the most recent truce plan.
Israel’s PM Benjamin Netanyahu has come under huge pressure amid demonstrations led by hostage families demanding an immediate deal.
But details have yet to be signed off by Sinwar – who is believed to be hiding from Israeli forces hunting him in the last Hamas stronghold in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah.
The deal on the table is understood to include a 40-day pause in fighting to allow hostage releases and boost aid to the blitzed coastal strip.
Israel has also agreed to consider a second phase of a truce consisting of a “period of sustained calm” in reply to Hamas demands for a permanent ceasefire.
But Prime Minister Netanyahu – whose forces are said to have killed 34,000 Palestinians since the October 7 terror attacks killed 1,200 Israelis – stressed Rafah would be attacked regardless of any deal.
Sinwar – who planned the massacres – tops Israel’s most wanted list.
Hostages set to be freed on humanitarian grounds include any remaining women, children, men over 50, and those who are sick.
Britain’s Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron also described Israel’s offer as “generous”.
He said: “I hope Hamas do take this deal and frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘take that deal.’”