The World Today
MADRID, 18 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) announced Monday that it has accepted a ceasefire proposal presented by mediators Qatar and Egypt for the Gaza Strip, where more than 62,000 people have already died due to the Israeli offensive.
"Hamas and the Palestinian factions announce their approval of the proposal presented yesterday by the Egyptian and Qatari mediators," reads a brief statement reported by the newspaper Filastin, affiliated with the Islamist group.
The confirmation came after Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Qatari Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Mohamed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, and reaffirmed the importance of their "continued efforts" to establish an "immediate ceasefire" in the enclave, allowing the "urgent and unhindered" entry of humanitarian aid and securing the release of hostages.
"We confirm our categorical rejection of the military reoccupation of the Strip and any attempt to displace Palestinians from their territory," the Egyptian Government Information Service said in a statement, adding that Al Sisi has advocated for a reconstruction process after the ceasefire.
An Israeli official has confirmed to The Times of Israel that Benjamin Netanyahu's government has received the proposal, which Hamas has approved, which would include a 60-day truce and the release of ten live hostages in exchange for 150 Palestinian prisoners.
Later, Israeli Defense Minister Bezalel Smotrich, the far-right leader, spoke out against a possible "partial" ceasefire agreement, arguing that the Islamist militant group had only softened its demands because it feared an Israeli offensive on Gaza City.
"Hamas is under great pressure due to the conquest of Gaza because it believes this will eliminate the group. It is trying to stop this by returning a partial agreement. This is exactly why we cannot give up," he stressed in a message posted on the social network X.
His comments come after sources close to the negotiations reported that Hamas has conceded on two sticking points that derailed talks in Doha last month, including the release of life-sentence prisoners and the size of the buffer zone along the Gaza border, Israeli media reported.
The Israeli government insisted on Sunday that Hamas must immediately release all hostages, dead or alive, held by Palestinian militias, and demanded their immediate disarmament, as well as the demilitarization of the Strip, Israeli control of the enclave's perimeter, and the establishment of a government independent of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority that "coexists in peace with Israel."
