Hamas Accepts Ceasefire Proposal, Hopes for Israeli Compliance
The Hamas militant group has accepted a ceasefire proposal received from Egyptian and Qatari mediators two days ago, according to the group’s leader, Khalil al-Hayya.
“We received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar two days ago and we have positively accepted it” Hayya said in a televised speech.
Hayya, who leads the Hamas negotiating team in indirect talks aiming to achieve a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, also expressed hope that the Israeli occupation would not undermine the proposal.
Reuters learned on Thursday from security sources that Egypt had received positive signals from Israel on a new ceasefire proposal, which includes a transitional phase.
The proposal reportedly involves the Hamas releasing five Israeli captives every week, sources said.
The office of the Israeli Prime Minister stated that it had conducted a series of consultations based on the proposal received from the mediators and that Israel had submitted a “counter-proposal” to the mediators in full coordination with the United States. When asked if Israel had also accepted the ceasefire proposal, the office did not immediately respond.
According to the Israeli news site Ynet, Israel is demanding the release of ten captives.
A ceasefire in the Gaza Strip has been in effect since January 19, with the first phase of a three-stage agreement already expiring on March 1. An agreement on the second phase has yet to be reached.
The second phase of the agreement is expected to focus on agreements over the release of remaining captives and the Israeli military’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. Hamas has stated that all proposals must enable the start of the second phase, while Israel has offered to extend the first 42-day phase.
On Saturday, the militant group published a second video of an Israeli captive being held in the Gaza Strip within a week. The video shows a man speaking in Hebrew, pleading for his release and repeatedly raising his hands in desperation.
According to the Israeli Forum of Captives’ Families, the man in the video is Elkana Bohbot, who was also seen in a Hamas video on Monday. Bohbot says in the more than three-minute recording that the resumption of Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip endangers his life, without specifying when and where the video was taken.