The Palestinian group Hamas has announced it is studying new proposals for a temporary ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, but insisted it is seeking an accord that would bring an end to Israel’s war.
Hamas said in a statement on Wednesday that it had received proposals from the mediators and is holding talks with them to “bridge gaps” to return to the negotiating table and try to reach a ceasefire agreement.
The group added it was aiming for an agreement that would end the Gaza war and ensure the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave.
The announcement comes a day after United States President Donald Trump said Israel had agreed to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. Trump has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire and an agreement for the group to release the Israeli captives held in Gaza.
Trump stated that the 60-day period would be used to work towards ending the war – something Israel says it will not accept until Hamas is defeated. Trump is due to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu next week.
But Hamas’s announcement, which emphasised its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialise into an actual pause in fighting.
Shortly after the Hamas statement, Netanyahu said “there will be no Hamas” in post-war Gaza.
Israeli officials have warned that the military will escalate its operations in Gaza if ceasefire negotiations do not advance soon, according to the US-based Axios news outlet.
“We’ll do to Gaza City and the central camps what we did to Rafah. Everything will turn to dust,” the outlet quoted a senior Israeli official as saying.
“It’s not our preferred option, but if there’s no movement towards a hostage deal, we won’t have any other choice.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar stated any opportunity to free captives held in Gaza should not be missed, adding that there is a lot of support, both in the cabinet and within the public at large, for the US-backed proposal.
The proposal, though, has not been publicly backed by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich.
Israel’s war on Gaza has killed at least 56,647 people and wounded 134,105, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.
The war has left the coastal Palestinian territory in ruins, with much of the urban landscape flattened in the fighting. More than 90 percent of Gaza’s 2.3 million population has been displaced, often multiple times. The war has caused a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people to famine-like conditions.
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Hamas Says Studying New Ceasefire Proposals, Calls For End To Gaza War – Iran Front Page – Iran Front Page
