Hamas has announced on Friday that it is prepared to begin negotiations “immediately” on a ceasefire proposal in Gaza. Israel’s offensive killed over 50 people on Thursday in Gaza, the civil defence service reported.
Israeli attacks have killed at least 18 individuals throughout the enclave since Friday, medical sources in Gaza said, according to the Palestinian Information Centre and the Quds News Network.
After months of failed attempts, Hamas declared on Friday that it has “submitted a positive response” to a proposal for a 60-day ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, paving the way for an agreement to end the fighting.
A statement released by the group said, Hamas has “submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework.”
The two sides are now anticipated to begin final, detailed negotiations before a ceasefire agreement is formally reached. Israel had previously agreed to the US-sponsored framework.
Palestinian-American interlocutor Bishara Bahbah, who has had direct discussions with Hamas, commended the group’s reaction on Facebook, writing, “We are now much closer to ending this cursed war.”
Hamas made “amendments it deemed necessary,” he said.
“In my view, these amendments will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement within the coming week, God willing,” Bahbah remarked.
With some aspects in the proposal text reworded, an Israeli source with knowledge of the situation stated early Friday that Israel had anticipated a favourable reaction from Hamas. According to the source, the ceasefire efforts were not anticipated to be derailed by these changes.
The proposal calls for the release of 10 of the 50 Israeli hostages still in Gaza who are alive and 18 of the hostages who have died during the ceasefire. Hamas would release eight hostages who are still alive on the first day of the ceasefire in return for an undisclosed number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees. After the release, the two sides would start negotiating a permanent ceasefire, and Israel would leave some areas of northern Gaza.
There will be no fanfare by the Hamas when the hostages are released. The proposal calls for the release of the remaining hostages on four future dates.
Efforts to broker a ceasefire accelerated after Israel and Iran conflict continued for 12 days in June. A fresh round of indirect talks between Israel and Hamas to reach a “middle ground” based on earlier proposals was promptly started by Qatar, a key negotiator.
According to an Israeli official and source familiar with the negotiations, the revised proposal includes stronger assurances regarding the US’s commitment to keeping Israel at the negotiating table to secure a permanent ceasefire deal, either during or possibly after the 60-day truce.
Additionally, it pledges that Israel will permit a flood of aid to enter Gaza via conventional humanitarian routes instead of the controversial Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, which is supported by Israel.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump said it was encouraging that Hamas had responded in “a positive spirit” to a US-brokered Gaza ceasefire proposal, and he expected a deal could be reached next week.