The Latest | Biden says no Gaza cease-fire deal soon, as mediators work to bridge gaps

U.S. President Joe Biden said Thursday he doesn’t expect to reach a cease-fire deal for Gaza in the near future, as an American-backed proposal with global support has not been fully embraced by Israel or Hamas.

Biden said international leaders had discussed the cease-fire at the Group of Seven summit in Italy, but when asked by reporters if a truce deal wound be reached soon, Biden replied simply, “No,” adding, “I haven’t lost hope.”

Earlier Thursday, U.S. national security adviser Jake Sullivan pushed back against assertions that Israel isn’t fully committed to the cease-fire plan.

“Israel has supplied this proposal. It has been sitting on the table for some time. Israel has not contradicted or walked that back,” Sullivan said. Hamas has responded to the plan by offering amendments, and Sullivan said the goal is “to figure out how we work to bridge the remaining gaps and get to a deal.”

Hamas says the requested changes aim to guarantee a permanent cease-fire and complete Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza. The cease-fire proposal announced by Biden includes those provisions, but Hamas has expressed wariness whether Israel will implement the terms.

Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its count. Palestinians are facing widespread hunger because the war has largely cut off the flow of food, medicine and other supplies. U.N. agencies say over 1 million in Gaza could experience the highest level of starvation by mid-July.

Israel launched the war after Hamas’ Oct. 7 attack, in which militants stormed into southern Israel, killed some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and abducted about 250.

Currently:

— What are the main sticking points in the cease-fire talks between Israel and Hamas?

— Israelis and Palestinians are hopeful but cautious over the latest cease-fire plan.

— Report by UN-backed experts cites crimes by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants starting 0ct. 7.

— Israel-Hamas war roils a congressional race outside New York City, testing Democrats in pivotal clash.

— Suspected attack by Yemen’s Houthi rebels sees missiles strike ship in Gulf of Aden, sparking blaze

— Hezbollah vows to intensify attacks against Israel after an airstrike kills a senior commander.

Follow AP’s coverage of the war in Gaza at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war

Here's the latest:

Israeli forces kill at least one Palestinian during raid in northern West Bank

JERUSALEM — Israeli forces killed at least one Palestinian in a daylong raid Thursday into the northern West Bank, according to the military and Palestinian health officials.

During what Israel’s military described as an operation targeting militancy in a flashpoint area of the occupied territory, troops encircled a home in the town of Qabatiya looking for what the army said were “two senior wanted suspects.” Israeli soldiers exchanged fire with the suspects and hit the home with shoulder-fired missiles, and the two were killed, the military statement said.

As of Thursday night, Palestinian health officials had only confirmed the death of one man, 21-year-old Qais Mohammed Zakarneh.

Israel’s military said it also arrested several Palestinians suspected of militancy and dug up explosives planted in the ground.

Since the start of the Israel-Hamas war Oct. 7, over 530 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire in the West Bank.