Hamas is “ready” to discuss “any proposal” for a truce in the Gaza Strip, after more than a year of war with Israel, an official of the Palestinian group said on Saturday, while a delegation was in Cairo to meet Egyptian mediators. On Wednesday, the White House announced a new diplomatic effort by the United States, with help from Turkey, Qatar and Egypt, to secure an agreement on a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of the hostages held there.
A ceasefire possible under certain conditions
Hamas is “ready to study proposals on a ceasefire” and “a gradual withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip”, this official told AFP, speaking under cover of the anonymity. But “on condition that there are international guarantees so that the agreement leads to a definitive end to the war, a complete (Israeli) withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and an exchange of prisoners”, he added . Hamas “has not received a new offer for the moment,” however, the official said. According to him, the Islamist movement’s delegation, led by Khalil al-Hayya, is to meet with Egyptian intelligence chief Hassan Rashad and other officials responsible for mediation with Israel. This visit to Egypt comes less than 48 hours after the entry into force of a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and the Islamist movement Hezbollah, an ally of Hamas.
The war in Gaza was triggered on October 7, 2023 by a surprise attack by Hamas which led to the death of 1,207 people on the Israeli side, the majority civilians killed that day, according to an AFP count based on official figures. Israelis and including hostages who died or were killed in captivity in the Gaza Strip. During the attack, 251 people were kidnapped on Israeli soil. A total of 97 hostages remain in Gaza, 34 of whom were declared dead by the army.
The military campaign of retaliation launched by Israel has killed 44,382 people in the Gaza Strip, the majority civilians, according to data from the Hamas government’s Health Ministry for Gaza, deemed reliable by the UN. The only truce, which took place in November 2023, allowed the return of more than a hundred hostages in exchange for the release of 240 Palestinians detained by Israel. Since the start of the year, efforts by Washington, Doha and Cairo to obtain a new truce agreement and release of hostages have been in vain.
