Hamas gives positive response to latest cease-fire proposal, says it is ready to negotiate
Qatar and Egypt were responsible for sending the proposal, which, according to Trump, has already been accepted by Israel.
A woman holds a plastic bottle in front of a destroyed school in Gaza
The Hamas terrorist group has told the mediators, Egypt and Qatar, that their response to the latest cease-fire proposal is "positive" and that they are now ready to start negotiations and finalize the long-awaited deal.
"Hamas has completed its internal consultations with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the mediators’ latest proposal to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza," the Palestinian terror group said in a statement.
"The movement has submitted a positive response to the mediators," the text read. "The movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework."
The news comes after Palestinian authorities, which answer to Hamas, reported that 52 people were killed in the past 24 hours as a result of persistent military attacks by Israel, which continues to seek the total dismantling of the terror group as it faces international pressure to curb its operations and finalize a ceasefire deal.
According to a Palestinian source close to the discussions cited by AFP, the proposal Hamas would accept "comprises a 60-day truce" where it would eventually release half of the Israeli hostages who remain alive in exchange for the release of militants from the group or Palestinians detained by Israel.
The news also comes 48 hours before Benjamin Netanyahu travels to the White House, where he is expected to discuss the situation in Gaza with President Trump on Monday.
Earlier this week, Trump claimed that Israel had accepted the 60-day cease-fire proposal and that Hamas had an obligation to accept the proposal.
"My Representatives had a long and productive meeting with the Israelis today on Gaza. Israel has agreed to the necessary conditions to finalize the 60 Day CEASEFIRE, during which time we will work with all parties to end the War," Trump wrote. "I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE."
While Trump said Israel, Washington's main ally, accepted the proposal, Netanyahu has yet to address it publicly and instead said in recent days that the Jewish state's goal is to destroy the terror group.
“There will be no Hamas,” Netanyahu said. “There will be no Hamastan. We are not going back to that. It is over. We will release all our hostages.”
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