Hamas Responds to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal
(MENAFN) The Palestinian organization Hamas has confirmed that it delivered its official reply to the recent Gaza ceasefire initiative put forth by U.S. envoy Steve Witkoff.
This communication was made through mediators from Egypt and Qatar, as disclosed on Saturday.
In a formal statement that seemed to outline several conditions, Hamas emphasized the necessity of “a permanent ceasefire, a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and guarantees for the continuous flow of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian people in the territory.”
These stipulations highlight Hamas's core expectations for any prospective truce.
As part of the suggested arrangement, Hamas proposed freeing 10 Israeli hostages and returning the remains of 18 others.
This would be in exchange for an agreed-upon release of Palestinian detainees.
Despite issuing its statement, Hamas stopped short of directly endorsing the Witkoff plan.
Instead, the organization indicated that its position was shaped by a series of internal discussions and reflects its commitment to alleviating the hardships endured by the Palestinian population.
Subsequently, an Israeli public broadcaster, citing unnamed Israeli officials, reported that Hamas is looking for “modifications” to the proposed truce terms.
This claim came in the wake of Hamas’s confirmation that it had sent its response to the intermediaries.
Just two days earlier, Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu had declared his acceptance of Witkoff’s proposal, which is aimed at facilitating both a ceasefire and a prisoner swap between the conflicting parties.
While Hamas did not release any further details publicly, multiple sources—including Israeli and U.S. outlets, along with Palestinian contacts familiar with the group—previously indicated that the offer involves exchanging 10 Israeli captives for a combination of 125 Palestinian prisoners serving life terms, 1,111 individuals detained from Gaza after October 7, 2023, and 180 Palestinian corpses.
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content "as is" without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
