GAZA: A top Hamas official said on Sunday that the Palestinian resistance group was ready to discuss a hostage deal and an end to the Gaza war without the precondition of a “complete and permanent ceasefire”, AFP reported.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that Hamas had initially demanded Israel agree to a complete and permanent ceasefire before engaging in discussions regarding a prisoner swap and ending the nine-month-long conflict in Gaza. However, this condition was waived following assurances from Qatari mediators that ceasefire measures would remain in effect as long as negotiations continued.
The apparent easing of the Hamas position comes amid renewed mediation efforts by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to tempt the rivals into talks to end the nine months of conflict and secure a deal to release hostages held by Hamas and Palestinian prisoners detained by Israel.
Israel has previously strongly opposed Hamas’s demands for a complete and permanent ceasefire, officials said. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made the destruction of Hamas and the return of all Israeli hostages the central aim of the bombardment campaign in Gaza.
Efforts towards achieving a ceasefire continued with mediation efforts involving the United States, Qatar, and Egypt, aimed at halting the Gaza conflict, which has resulted in extensive civilian casualties and widespread devastation in the coastal enclave.
Egypt’s state-affiliated Al-Qahera News reported that Cairo was currently hosting delegations from Israel and the United States to address outstanding issues related to the conflict, citing a senior unnamed official source.
The report further stated that mediators were actively engaged with Hamas amid intensive Egyptian-led meetings throughout the week involving all concerned parties, although specific details were not provided.
Israel has confirmed its participation in ongoing discussions mediated by Qatar, though a government spokesperson acknowledged on Friday that significant gaps still existed between the Israeli position and that of the Palestinian group.
In late May, US President Joe Biden proposed a framework for a six-week ceasefire and the exchange of hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli custody. Although initial talks stalled, a US official indicated on Thursday that a revised proposal from the Palestinian group represented progress and could potentially serve as a basis for a final agreement.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan informed AFP that US mediators had positively received the latest proposals from the Palestinian group and conveyed them to Israeli counterparts. “Now the ball is in the Israeli court,” Hamdan remarked.
An official with knowledge of the mediation said US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) director William Burns would also go to Qatar this week.
The Hamas official said Egypt and Turkey would also step up their efforts in coming days to reach an accord. If full talks start, Hamas expects them to take between two to three weeks, the official said.
The Hamas official said that if a ceasefire started it would want up to 400 trucks of aid to enter the besieged Palestinian territory each day.
Meanwhile, Israeli airstrikes continued unabated in besieged Gaza, resulting in additional casualties. Medical sources in the territory reported multiple deaths on Sunday, including two children among six fatalities in a strike on a house in central Gaza, and nine others in separate incidents in Gaza City.
The escalating violence has exacerbated the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where nearly 500,000 people are facing severe food shortages described as “catastrophic” by UN agencies. Most hospitals in Gaza have been forced to operate with limited resources due to ongoing fuel shortages exacerbated by Israeli blockades.
Dr. Muhammad Salha, acting director of Al-Awda Hospital in Jabalia, lamented the dire conditions, stating, “The situation is very difficult. We have had to postpone many scheduled surgeries due to the lack of fuel.”
Since October 7 last year, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza that has killed at least 38,153 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to data from the territory’s health ministry.
The health ministry toll includes 16 people killed Saturday in a strike on a UN-run school in the central Nuseirat refugee camp that was sheltering displaced Palestinians, which the Israeli military said had been used by militants.
