Hamas ready to discuss hostage deal without 'permanent' ceasefire

Gaza:

A senior Hamas official told AFP on Sunday that Palestinian groups were ready to discuss a hostage deal and an end to the Gaza war without a “complete and permanent ceasefire.”

The apparent softening of Hamas’s position comes amid renewed mediation efforts by the United States, Qatar and Egypt to try to push the rivals to enter into negotiations to end the nine-month war and reach a deal to release hostages held by Hamas and prisoners held by Israel.

“Hamas had previously demanded that Israel accept a complete and permanent ceasefire,” the official told AFP, speaking on condition of anonymity.

“This step was bypassed because the mediators had promised that as long as negotiations over prisoners continued, the ceasefire would continue,” he added.

Israel has in the past strongly opposed Hamas’ demands for a permanent ceasefire, officials said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made the destruction of Hamas and the return of all hostages the central goal of Israel’s military campaign launched after the October 7 attacks.

US President Joe Biden presented on May 31 a plan proposed by Israel promising “a road map towards a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages.”

An Israeli negotiator flew to Doha on Friday to hold talks with the mediators. Israel said there were still “gaps” in Hamas’ counter-proposals but that the negotiator would return to Doha this week.

An official familiar with the mediation said that the director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), William Burns, would also travel to Qatar this week.

The Hamas official said Egypt and Turkey would also step up their efforts in the coming days to reach an agreement.

If full negotiations begin, Hamas expects them to take between two and three weeks, the official said.

Biden said the Israeli plan proposed an initial six-week truce with an Israeli withdrawal from populated areas of the Gaza Strip and an initial release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for some hostages seized on October 7.

The Hamas official said that if a ceasefire were to be established, he would like up to 400 aid trucks to enter the besieged Palestinian territory every day.

The war began with a Hamas attack on southern Israel on October 7, which killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Hamas has also captured 251 hostages, according to Israel. Of the 116 hostages remaining in Gaza, 42 are believed to have died, according to the Israeli military.

Israel’s retaliatory offensive killed at least 38,153 people, mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip.

(Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

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