By Nidal al-Mughrabi
CAIRO (Reuters) – Hamas mentioned it had acquired on Saturday Israel’s official response to its newest ceasefire proposal and can examine it earlier than submitting its reply, the group’s deputy Gaza chief mentioned in an announcement.
“Hamas has acquired immediately the official response of the Zionist occupation to the proposal introduced to the Egyptian and the Qatari mediators on April 13,” Khalil Al-Hayya, who’s at present based mostly in Qatar, mentioned in an announcement printed by the group.
After greater than six months of conflict with Israel in Gaza, the negotiations stay deadlocked, with Hamas sticking to its calls for that any settlement should finish the conflict.
An Egyptian delegation visited Israel for dialogue with Israeli officers on Friday, in search of a method to restart talks to finish the battle and return remaining hostages taken when Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli cities on Oct. 7, an official briefed on the conferences mentioned.
The official, who spoke on situation of anonymity, mentioned Israel had no new proposals to make, though it was prepared to contemplate a restricted truce during which 33 hostages could be launched by Hamas, as a substitute of the 40 beforehand beneath dialogue.
On Thursday, the US and 17 different nations appealed to Hamas to launch all of its hostages as a pathway to finish the disaster.
Hamas has vowed to not relent to worldwide strain however in an announcement it issued on Friday it mentioned it was “open to any concepts or proposals that have in mind the wants and rights of our folks”.
Nevertheless, it caught to its key calls for that Israel has rejected, and criticised the joint assertion issued by the U.S and others for not calling for a everlasting ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
White Home nationwide safety adviser Jake Sullivan mentioned on Friday he noticed recent momentum in talks to finish the conflict and return the remaining hostages.
Citing two Israeli officers, Axios reported that Israel advised the Egyptian mediators on Friday that it was prepared to present hostage negotiations “one final likelihood” to succeed in a take care of Hamas earlier than shifting ahead with an invasion of Rafah, the final refuge for round one million Palestinians who fled Israeli forces additional north in Gaza earlier within the conflict.
In the meantime, in Rafah, Palestinian well being officers mentioned an Israeli air strike on a home killed not less than 5 folks and wounded others.
Hamas fighters stormed into Israeli cities on Oct. 7, killing 1,200 folks and capturing 253 hostages. Israel has sworn to annihilate Hamas in an onslaught that has killed greater than 34,000 Palestinians.
(Reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi; Writing by Ahmed Tolba and Nidal al-Mughrabi; Modifying by Sandra Maler and Rosalba O’Brien)
