Hamas ready for ceasefire but it must end war in Gaza
Fatma Khaled, Samy Magdy and Bassem Mroue |
Hamas suggests it’s open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel but is stopping short of accepting a US-backed proposal announced by President Donald Trump hours earlier, insisting on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.
Trump said on Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen.
The US leader has increased pressure on Israel and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.
Trump said the 60 days would be used to work towards ending the war, something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated.
He said a deal might come together as soon as next week.
But Hamas’s response, which emphasised its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could become an actual pause in fighting.
Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said the militant group was “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement”.
Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war”.
A Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal.
Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks have faltered repeatedly over whether the war should end as part of any deal.
Hamas has said it is willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, fewer than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.
Israel says it will agree to end the war only if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.
An Israeli official said the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory.
The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks on an end to the war, but Israel was not committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said.
It was not clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.
Israel has yet to comment publicly on Trump’s announcement.
On Monday, Trump will host Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for talks at the White House, days after Ron Dermer, a senior Netanyahu adviser, held discussions with top US officials about Gaza, Iran and other matters.
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel had “agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War”.
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better – IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” he said.
Even before the expiration of the war’s longest ceasefire in March, Trump has repeatedly issued dramatic ultimatums to pressure Hamas to agree to longer pauses in the fighting that would include the release of more hostages and a return of more aid to Gaza’s civilian populace.
Still, Trump views the current moment as a potential turning point in the brutal conflict that has left more than 56,000 dead in the Palestinian territory.
Since dawn on Wednesday, Israeli strikes killed 40 people across the Gaza Strip, the health ministry said.
Hospital officials said four children and seven women were among the dead.
The Israeli military, which blames Hamas for the civilian casualties because it operates from populated areas, was looking into the reports.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel, killing 1200 people and taking roughly 250 hostages.
The war has left the Palestinian territory in ruins and has sparked a humanitarian crisis, pushing hundreds of thousands of people towards hunger.
AP
