A Hamas spokesman stated on Sunday that the Palestine based terrorist organization was prepared to negotiate a hostage release agreement with Israel without a “permanent” ceasefire.
The apparent softening of Hamas’s stance coincides with the acceleration of long-stalled diplomatic efforts to achieve a truce and the release of hostages, according to a fresh proposal and discussions presided over by mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
However, the official, who spoke under anonymity, stated that mediators had promised “that as long as the… negotiations continued, the ceasefire would continue”.
Following Hamas’ October 7 strike that ignited the war, Israel pledged to eliminate the terrorist organization; yet, it has consistently turned down requests for an ongoing cease-fire.
In late May, US President Joe Biden unveiled a plan that called for a six-week ceasefire to start and for the exchange of Palestinian inmates detained in Israel for hostages held by Hamas.
Although the negotiations swiftly came to a standstill, a US official stated on Thursday that a fresh text from Hamas “moves the process forward and may provide the basis for closing the deal”.
According to Al-Qahera News, which is affiliated with the Egyptian government, Cairo was “hosting Israeli and American delegations” late on Saturday. It also reported that mediators were in communication with Hamas as part of “intensive Egyptian meetings this week with all parties”.
On a nationwide “disruption day,” anti-government demonstrators in Israel calling for a hostage release agreement blocked highways in Tel Aviv’s business district starting at 6:29 am, the moment when Hamas began its October 7 attack.
Yoni Peleg, a 34-year-old data scientist, claimed that demonstrators were calling “for help… to end the war” and exerting pressure on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration to ensure the release of the remaining captives.
1,195 individuals, largely civilians, lost their lives in Hamas’s historic October 7 raid on southern Israel, according to Israeli officials.
251 captives were taken by Hamas; 116 of them are still in Gaza, 42 of whom the IDF claims are dead. Data from the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave of Gaza show that at least 38,153 Palestinians have died as a result of Israel’s military onslaught, the majority of them were civilians.
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A government spokesperson stated on Friday that there were still “gaps” with Hamas, despite Israel’s announcement that it would send a delegation to resume negotiations with Qatari mediators.
William Burns, the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), will also visit Qatar this week, according to an official with knowledge of the mediation.
