Hamas says submitted response to Gaza ceasefire proposal
Hamas says submitted response to Gaza ceasefire proposal
M.U.H
24/07/202537
The Palestinian resistance group Hamas has confirmed it has submitted a formal response to the latest ceasefire proposal for Gaza.
In a statement on Thursday, Hamas said that it had submitted a formal response to an Israeli proposal for a 60-day ceasefire in the war-ravaged Palestinian territory, following more than two weeks of stalled indirect negotiations in Qatar.
"Hamas has just submitted its response and that of the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal to the mediators," the group said on Telegram.
According to a report by AFP, Hamas proposed amendments addressing critical issues, including the delivery of humanitarian aid, withdrawal zones for Israeli forces, and guarantees for a permanent halt to Israel’s ongoing military onslaught.
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office acknowledged that it had received the response via mediators and said it was reviewing the content.
Despite ongoing indirect negotiations in Qatar, no agreement has been reached. While Tel Aviv has accused Hamas of delaying the process, the Palestinian group argues it is Israel that has obstructed progress by rejecting key conditions for a sustainable truce.
The proposed ceasefire also includes a prisoner exchange involving Israeli captives still held in Gaza. Of the 251 people taken on October 7, 2023, 49 remain in captivity, with the Israeli military believing that 27 of them are dead.
The occupying entity demands to dismantle Hamas’s military and governance infrastructure, while Hamas insists on guarantees for a lasting ceasefire, full Israeli withdrawal, and unimpeded flow of desperately-needed humanitarian aid.
The Israeli regime claims it has already accepted both the Qatari and updated US proposals.
Israeli officials claim to have already accepted both Qatari and revised US proposals. “Israel has agreed to the Qatari proposal and the updated (US special envoy Steve) Witkoff proposal, it is Hamas that is refusing,” Israeli cabinet spokesman David Mencer said Wednesday. Hamas has denied the claim, placing the blame for the deadlock squarely on Israel.
Mencer added that Israel’s negotiating team remains in Doha, while Witkoff is scheduled to travel to Europe for additional talks regarding both the ceasefire and the humanitarian aid corridor.
The diplomatic developments come as over 100 aid organizations warned that “mass starvation” is spreading across Gaza.
The last ceasefire began on January 19 after Israel accepted long-standing terms proposed by Hamas. However, on March 18, Israel unilaterally ended the truce and resumed its bombardment of Gaza.
Since October 2023, Israeli military operations in Gaza have killed at least 59,219 Palestinians, the majority of them women and children. More than 143,000 others have been injured. Israel continues to enforce a strict blockade, limiting the entry of essential supplies, including food and medicine.
