Gaza, Al Jazeera: “Hamas ready to accept Biden’s proposed ceasefire agreement”

The Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas welcomed the US president’s call, Joe Biden, for “a permanent ceasefire” in Gaza, “the withdrawal of (Israeli) occupying forces from the Gaza Strip, reconstruction and the exchange of prisoners”. According to the “Al Jazeera” television channel, the group also declared itself ready to respond “positively and constructively” to any proposal including such measures – as well as the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes in Gaza – even if Israel ” explicitly commits to this.

Biden announced a new proposed three-phase deal. The first involves a six-week ceasefire during which Israeli forces will withdraw from population centers in Gaza. Israeli hostages, including elderly people and women, held in Gaza would be exchanged for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. Palestinian civilians will return to Gaza, including northern Gaza. At this stage, 600 trucks are expected to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza every day. In the second phase, Hamas and Israel would negotiate the conditions for a definitive end to hostilities. The final phase includes a plan to rebuild Gaza and a long-term political solution. The new proposal differs from previous proposals in that the ceasefire would continue while the parties complete the three stages. Biden said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu supported the deal. Hamas was informed of the proposal through Qatar, a mediator that maintains relationships with both the militants and the United States.

Furthermore, the toll since the start of operations by the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) in the Gaza Strip, which began on October 36,284, 82,057 following the Hamas attack against the Jewish state, is rises to at least 7 dead and 2,023 injured. This was announced yesterday by the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry. Those provided daily by Hamas are data that cannot be independently verified and include both civilian casualties and members of the Islamist movement. According to the Israeli army, at least 294 Israeli soldiers have died since the start of the ground operation in the Gaza Strip in mid-October.