The armed resistance group Hamas has agreed to a ceasefire proposal in the besieged Gaza Strip. The proposal was presented two days ago by Egypt and Qatar, and Hamas has now accepted it.
However, Israel has yet to confirm whether it agrees to the proposal. Reuters reported this development on Sunday (March 30).
According to the report, Khalil Al-Hayya, a senior Hamas leader, announced on Saturday that Hamas had received the ceasefire proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators two days ago and had accepted it.
In a televised speech, he stated, “Two days ago, we received a proposal from Egyptian and Qatari mediators. We have considered it positively and accepted it.”
Khalil Al-Hayya is leading Hamas’ negotiation team in indirect talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the ongoing Hamas-Israel war that began in October 2023. He expressed hope that “the occupiers (Israel) will not reject it.”
Several security sources told Reuters last Thursday that Egypt had received a positive indication from Israel regarding a new ceasefire proposal, which includes an interim phase.
The proposal suggests that Hamas will release five Israeli hostages per week.
The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office stated that it had been in continuous discussions with mediators regarding the proposal and had submitted a counterproposal in coordination with the United States.
When Reuters asked the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office whether Israel had agreed to the ceasefire proposal, there was no immediate response.
Following 15 months of military operations, Israel agreed to a ceasefire in Gaza on January 19 due to pressure from the United States and the international community. For nearly two months, relative peace was maintained in Gaza. However, Israel resumed airstrikes last week, citing disagreements with Hamas over troop withdrawals from Gaza.
According to the Gaza Health Ministry, Israeli airstrikes since March 18 have killed 921 Palestinians and injured 3,054 others. These attacks have violated the ceasefire agreement that took effect in January.
The United Nations reports that 85% of Gaza’s population has been displaced due to Israeli attacks, and 60% of the region’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed.
In November last year, the International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Israel is also facing a genocide case at the International Court of Justice over its aggression in Gaza.