Palestinians in the Gaza Strip on Saturday offered a cautious welcome to Hamas’ response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s proposal to stop the war in the coastal enclave.

They said they care about ending the war that wraps up its second year in a way that enables them to return to their homes.

Arafa al-Amour, a Khan Younis resident who shelters in the Muwasi area, described Hamas’ response as “positive,” and called for accelerating efforts to end the war.

“We care about practical implementation within a short time,” he told The Associated Press, adding that they have been fed up with the war which destroyed the strip.

Samir Abdel-Hady, a Khan Younis resident, was cautious for fear that ongoing efforts to stop the war could collapse as previous rounds of negotiations.

“What we want is practical implementation,” he said, “we want a truce on the ground.”

Mohamed Abu Rahim, a Rafah resident, urged Hamas to spare no efforts to stop the war.

“Enough,” he said, addressing Hamas leadership.

“If you are not able to end the war, we call for the international community to end what's happening.”

Israel's army said Saturday that it would advance preparations for the first phase of U.S. President Donald Trump's plan to end the war in Gaza and return all the remaining hostages, after Hamas said it accepted parts of the deal while others still needed to be negotiated.