Hamas provides ‘constructive’ response to Trump proposal for Gaza ceasefire

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Hamas stated it has given a “constructive” response to a US-backed proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, indicating it might enter negotiations that would increase hopes of bringing an finish to 21 months of conflict with Israel.

Nevertheless, a number of Arab media channels additionally reported that the militant group was in search of “minor and formative” amendments to the proposal, leaving it unclear whether or not Hamas’s response can be acceptable to Israel, or to Qatar, Egypt and the US, the three mediating international locations.

“Hamas is absolutely ready and severe about instantly getting into a brand new spherical of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework,” it stated in a press release late on Friday.

The group stated it had delivered its constructive response to the most recent proposal — which begins with a 60-day ceasefire — by worldwide mediators following its personal inner consultations in addition to with different Palestinian factions and forces.

There was no response from the Israeli authorities in the course of the Jewish Sabbath. The White Home didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark.

The household of at the least one Israeli hostage demanded a right away cupboard assembly as a way to focus on the Hamas response.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is ready to go to Washington on Monday, with US President Donald Trump having made clear his need for a ceasefire. Trump posted earlier this week on his social media web site, Fact Social, that Israel had accepted his proposal, later telling reporters he supposed to be “agency” with Netanyahu.

“I hope, for the great of the Center East, that Hamas takes this Deal, as a result of it won’t get higher — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” the US president warned.

The Israeli army continued its assault on Gaza, killing greater than 100 folks on Thursday and Friday, in accordance with native well being officers.

In response to drafts of the proposal seen by the Monetary Occasions and confirmed by two folks accustomed to the negotiations, Trump would “assure” that the battle can be halted for 60 days. Throughout this era greater than two dozen residing and deceased Israeli hostages held by Hamas can be launched over 5 phases.

Hamas holds at the least 20 residing hostages, in addition to the our bodies of 30 extra, all taken captive throughout its cross-border raid that sparked the conflict on October 7 2023.

It has demanded assurances that negotiations held throughout any ceasefire should transfer in the direction of a whole truce earlier than it might probably comply with releasing the entire hostages.

Hamas killed some 1,200 folks in Israel in the course of the October 7 raid, in accordance with Israeli officers. Since then, Israel’s army offensive has killed greater than 60,000 folks, most of them ladies and kids, in accordance with native well being officers, and devastated the enclave.

Through the proposed two-month pause, the Israeli army — which controls about 65 per cent of the Gaza Strip — would comply with withdraw from sections of northern and southern Gaza, topic to extra “speedy negotiations”, and would additionally enable a pick-up in humanitarian assist into the enclave by the UN and different worldwide teams.

As in previous ceasefires, Israel would additionally decide to swapping giant numbers of Palestinian prisoners, many held with out trial in Israeli army prisons.

Further reporting by Myles McCormick in Washington