According to Hamas, it has responded to a draft proposal for a fresh ceasefire in Gaza.The agreement’s specifics, which were outlined by Qatar, Egypt, Israel, and the US, are still under wraps.A six-week truce during which more Israeli hostages would be traded for Palestinian prisoners was reportedly part of the agreement.Both the US and Israel have stated that they are examining Hamas’s reply.
Presently in the Middle East, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced on Wednesday that he would talk with Israeli officials about Hamas’s response.President Joe Biden called the response “a little over the top,” implying that the Israeli leadership will not readily grant the group’s requests, even though Mr. Blinken has not indicated how the US views the action.According to the official, Hamas has also requested adjustments to the way those who have been hurt are treated, including sending them home or to hospitals overseas.A spokesman for Hamas told the Reuters news agency that although the proposal was sent to them approximately a week ago, it took them until Tuesday to respond because certain aspects of it were “unclear and ambiguous.”
Sheikh Mohammed Bin Abdulrahman al Thani, the prime minister of Qatar, has characterized Hamas’s reaction as “positive” overall.Senior Hamas officials told the BBC that while the group had responded to the framework with a “positive vision,” they had also requested certain changes regarding Gaza’s reconstruction, the repatriation of its citizens, and the needs of the displaced.
On October 7, Hamas gunmen launched an unprecedented cross-border attack on southern Israel, resulting in the deaths of about 1,300 people and the kidnapping of about 250 more. This attack set off the Gaza conflict.Since then, more than 27,500 people have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry of the territory, which is under Hamas rule and has been under Israeli and Egyptian blockade since 2007.Many nations have outlawed Hamas as a terrorist organization.
240 Palestinians detained in Israeli jails were exchanged for 105 Israeli and foreign hostages during a week-long ceasefire in late November.Claims briefed earlier this week by Israeli defense officials that the military is “making progress” in its search for Yahya Sinwar, the leader of Hamas in Gaza, could complicate the timing of any new agreement.Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister, is facing tremendous domestic pressure to secure the release of the remaining hostages.The sense of urgency Mr. Blinken brings to Tel Aviv, Israel, as he arrives looking to move the deal forward is further heightened by the growing sense of regional crisis.
Following the drone strike that claimed the lives of three US soldiers in Jordan last week, the US is making more of an effort to stop the region’s escalation.Washington warned that more airstrikes would follow its retaliatory airstrikes against militias in Syria and Iraq that were supported by Iran.
Israel announced on Tuesday that 31 of the 156 hostages detained in Gaza had passed away.Rear Admiral Daniel Hagari, spokesman for the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), announced that the families of the prisoners had been informed and that pressure would continue to be applied by the government to free the remaining detainees.”This is a moral obligation, national obligation and international obligation and this is our compass and this is how we will continue operating,” Hagari said.The US believes that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza is the most practical means of lowering tensions elsewhere.
