A DONKEY and trailer drive through the devastation of the Gaza Strip, as hopes rise for a ceasefire.
The grim scenes have sparked international calls for Israel to give in and now offer a 40-day truce.
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Israeli officials are preparing to fly to the Egyptian capital, Cairo, to seal the long-awaited deal that would allow the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in return.
But Hamas master terrorist Yahya Sinwar has not yet responded to the offer, described as “extraordinarily generous” by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken.
A senior Hamas official also expressed hope for a breakthrough, stating that the terrorist group had “no major problems” with the most recent truce plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under enormous pressure amid protests led by hostage families demanding an immediate deal.
READ MORE ABOUT THE GAZA CONFLICT
But Sinwar, who is believed to be hiding from Israeli forces pursuing him in the last Hamas stronghold in the southern Gaza city of Rafah, has not yet approved the details.
The deal on the table is understood to include a 40-day pause in fighting to allow the release of hostages and increase aid to the bombed coastal strip.
Israel also agreed to consider a second phase of a truce that will consist of a “period of sustained calm” in response 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 terrorist attacks killed 1,200 Israelis – stressed that Rafah would be attacked regardless of any agreement.
Sinwar, who planned the massacres, tops Israel’s most wanted list.
Among the hostages who will be released on humanitarian grounds are women, children, men over 50 years of age and the remaining sick.
British Foreign Secretary Lord Cameron also described Israel’s offer as “generous.”
He said: “I hope that Hamas accepts this agreement and, frankly, all the pressure in the world and all the eyes in the world should be on them today saying ‘accept that agreement.'”