“Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar. We deal with her positive and accept it,” Khalil Al-Hayya said in a televised speech on Saturday (local time).
“We hope that the occupation (Israeli) will not harm (he),” said Hayya, who leads the Hamas negotiation team in indirect negotiations aimed at ensuring a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel War in Gaza that exploded in October 2023.
Safety sources told Reuters on Thursday that Egypt had received positive nominations from Israel about a new cease proposal that would include a transition phase.
The proposal suggests that Hamas release five of the Israeli hostages that are keeping each week, the sources said.
Israel’s Prime Minister’s office said he made a series of consultations according to the proposal that was received from the mediators, and that Israel had transmitted to the mediators a counter-proposed coordination with the United States.
Reuters asked the prime minister’s office if he had also agreed with the proposal to cease -but did not respond immediately.
Cease –
The first phase of cease -Fogo between Israel and Hamas came into force on January 19, after 15 months of war, and involved a stop for the fighting, the release of some of the Israeli hostages maintained by Hamas and the liberation of some Palestinian prisoners.
Phase two of the three -phase agreement should focus on agreements on the release of the remaining hostages and the removal of the Israeli troops from Gaza. Hamas says any proposals should allow the launch of the second phase, while Israel offered to expand the first phase of 42 days.
In response to Hamas’s requests to disarm for Israel and the United States, Hayya said the group’s arsenal was a red line and would not disarm as long as the “Israeli” occupation existed.
Israel and the US says Hamas should not play a role in postwar Gaza agreements.
Israeli military strikes in Gaza continued on Saturday, killing at least 20 Palestinians throughout the enclave, the health officials said.
The Israeli military said they began the “earthly activity” in the JNeina neighborhood of Rafah to expand what he described as the security zone in southern Gaza.
On March 18, Israel resumed the bombing and land operations in Gaza, which, he said, intended to increase the pressure on Hamas to release hostages.
Since then, he has issued evacuation orders to tens of thousands of residents in various areas of the northern and southern range of Gaza, citing rockets firing against Israeli territories.
More than 50,000 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli offensive in Gaza, Palestinian officials say.
Israel began his offensive after thousands of Hamas led gunmen attacked communities in southern Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1200 people and kidnapping 251 as hostages, according to Israeli records.
