GAZA CITY: A Hamas official said Wednesday that the group had not received any proposals for a Gaza ceasefire but would discuss any ideas that include an Israeli withdrawal.
“We have not officially received any comprehensive proposal. We are prepared to engage with any ideas or proposals presented to us, provided they ultimately lead to an end to the war and a withdrawal by the army from the (Gaza) Strip,” the official told AFP.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is obstructing truce efforts to push an agenda of “genocide, ethnic cleansing and displacement” made possible by the absence of US pressure.
Gaza mediators to propose truce of ‘less than a month’: source
“We have told the mediators that Hamas is ready if (Israel) agrees to a proposal for a ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, return of displaced people to their homes in Gaza including the north, entry of sufficient aid for our people and a serious prisoner exchange deal,” he said, referring to ceasefire conditions Hamas has repeatedly brought to negotiations.
He said that Egypt and Qatar continue to work as mediators in consultations between Hamas and Israel.
On Tuesday evening, Hamas confirmed in a statement that some meetings had been held regarding the mediators’ request to discuss “new proposals for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange”.
US, Qatari and Egyptian mediators have been trying for months to negotiate a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza to allow a prisoner swap, aid access and talks on longer-term peace.
Israel’s spy chief David Barnea, CIA director Bill Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani held their latest round of talks in Doha on Sunday and Monday.
They focussed on a “short-term” truce of “less than a month”, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday
“US officials believe that if a short-term deal can be reached, it could lead to a more permanent agreement,” the source said, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.
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