US President Donald Trump says he’s “optimistic” a ceasefire deal in Gaza could be agreed next week after Hamas announced that it had “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day truce with Israel.

Israeli airstrikes killed at least 38 Palestinians in Gaza, hospital officials told the Associated Press on Sunday, as Israel's military said it has struck over 100 targets in the embattled enclave in the past day.

Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are hoping that ongoing negotiations to end the war in Gaza will stop the grinding conflict that has killed tens of thousands of people.