Hamas 'ready' for Gaza ceasefire, urges Trump to 'pressure' Israel

A senior Hamas official said Friday that the group is "ready for a ceasefire" in Gaza and urged US President-elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel to end the war.

"Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected" by Israel, Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP.

"We call on the US administration and Trump to pressure the Israeli government to end the aggression.

"Hamas informed the mediators that it is in favour of any proposal submitted to it that would lead to a definitive ceasefire and military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, allowing the return of displaced people, a serious deal for a prisoner exchange, the entry of humanitarian aid and reconstruction," Naim added.

The demands are the same ones Hamas has made in successive rounds of ceasefire negotiations since the start of the war.

On the campaign trail, Trump promised peace in the Middle East and has vowed to give freer rein to Israel.

The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,206 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally of Israeli official figures.

Israel's retaliatory campaign has killed 43,764 people in Gaza, according to figures from the territory's health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.