DEIR al-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Hamas said Friday it has given a “positive” response to the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza but said further talks were needed on implementation.

Palestinian group’s reply boosts chances of 60-day Gaza ceasefire, but Israel hasn’t responded publicly to the proposal.

Israeli officials said prospects for reaching a ceasefire deal and hostage deal appeared high, nearly 21 months since the war between Israel and Hamas began. On the ground, intensified Israeli strikes across Gaza continued unabated,

The U.N. says over 600 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza while collecting aid since the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation started operating.

The U.N. human rights office said on Friday it had recorded at least 613 killings both at aid points run by the U.S.- and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) and near humanitarian convoys run by other relief groups including the U.