The political bureau chief of Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh said they would “positively” approach any deal that puts an end to Israel’s attacks on Gaza, while the war cabinet announced it would not send a negotiating delegation to Doha until Hamas responds to the cease-fire proposal.
“Hamas and the resistance factions will deal seriously and positively with any agreement based on a full cessation of the aggression, complete withdrawal, and exchange of prisoners,” he said in a statement.
On Friday, U.S. President Joe Biden said Israel presented a three-phase deal that would end hostilities in Gaza and secure the release of hostages held in the coastal enclave. The plan includes a cease-fire, a hostage-prisoner exchange, and reconstruction of Gaza.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, however, said Monday that he was “not ready to stop” the war on Gaza, claiming that Biden’s remarks about the cease-fire proposal were “inaccurate.”
Indirect talks between Israel and Hamas mediated by the U.S., Qatar and Egypt have so far failed to agree on a permanent cease-fire in Gaza.
Israel has continued its brutal offensive on Gaza since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack despite a UN Security Council resolution demanding an immediate cease-fire.
More than 36,580 Palestinians have since been killed in Gaza, the vast majority being women and children, and over 83,000 others injured, according to local health authorities.
Nearly eight months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water, and medicine.
Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice, which in its latest ruling has ordered Tel Aviv to immediately halt its operation in the southern city of Rafah, where over a million Palestinians had sought refuge from the war before it was invaded on May 6.
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