GAZA: The Palestinian fighter group Hamas said early Saturday it had received and was studying the latest Israeli counterproposal regarding a possible ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
“Today, the Hamas movement received the official Zionist occupation response to the movement’s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13,” deputy head of Hamas’s political arm in Gaza, Khalil al-Hayya said in a brief statement.
“The movement will study this proposal, and upon completion of its study, it will submit its response.”
On April 13, Hamas had sought a permanent ceasefire, something Israel resists.
A delegation from mediator Egypt arrived in Israel on Friday in a bid to reignite stalled truce talks, Egyptian and Israeli media reported.
Since November, Egypt, along with fellow mediators the United States and Qatar, has been unsuccessfully trying to seal a ceasefire deal. A one-week break in the fighting in November had seen 80 Israeli hostages held in Gaza exchanged for 240 Palestinians held in Israeli prisons.
Since then, worldwide criticism of the war’s toll on Palestinian civilians in Gaza Strip has escalated, as have calls for Hamas to release the remaining hostages.
According to several Israeli media outlets, Israel’s war cabinet discussed a new plan for a ceasefire and hostage release ahead of the Egyptian delegation’s visit.
According to Al-Qahera News, which is linked to Egyptian state intelligence services, there has been “noticeable progress in bringing the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations closer”.
