The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, a controversial U.S.-backed aid distribution initiative supported by Israel, is currently the primary method for Palestinians in devastated Gaza to access supplies in designated spots after Israel lifted its aid blockade in mid-May.

The deal comes more than 20 months into the conflict -- and more than three months after a previous deal ended.

President Donald Trump has ramped up expectations around a possible 60-day ceasefire in the war in Gaza after he said Thursday that a response from Hamas was expected within the next day.

It was not immediately clear whether the group was demanding any significant changes to the plan for a 60-day truce, hostage-for-prisoner swaps and talks on a permanent end to the Gaza war.

Hamas has voiced strong opposition to any potential ceasefire deal that allows Israeli troops to remain stationed in buffer zones within Gaza, denouncing

Trump's meetings with the Israeli leader have brought no apparent breakthrough for a ceasefire in Gaza, where the bloodshed continues unabated.

An Israeli report released Tuesday said that Hamas used sexual violence as a ''tactical weapon of war'' in its Oct. 7, 2023, attacks, building on other investigations by international and Israeli rights groups and the United Nations.