Hamas open to a ceasefire

CAIRO (AP) :

Hamas and Israel staked out their positions Wednesday ahead of expected talks on a Washington-backed ceasefire proposal, with the militant group suggesting it was open to an agreement while the Israeli prime minister vowed “there will be no Hamas” in postwar Gaza.

Both stopped short of accepting the proposal announced by US President Donald Trump on Tuesday. Hamas insisted on its longstanding position that any deal bring an end to the war in Gaza.

Trump said Tuesday that Israel had agreed on terms for a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before conditions worsen. The US leader has been increasing pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker a ceasefire, and hostage agreement and bring about an end to the war.

Trump said the 60-day period would be used to work toward ending the war – something Israel says it won’t accept until Hamas is defeated. He said that a deal might come together as soon as next week.

But Hamas’ response, which emphasised its demand that the war end, raised questions about whether the latest offer could materialise into an actual pause in fighting.

Hamas official Taher al-Nunu said that the militant group was “ready and serious regarding reaching an agreement.” He said Hamas was “ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the complete end to the war.”

A Hamas delegation was expected to meet with Egyptian and Qatari mediators in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss the proposal, according to an Egyptian official. The official spoke on condition of anonymity, because he wasn’t authorised to discuss the talks with the media.

DISAGREEMENT ON HOW THE WAR SHOULD END

Throughout the nearly 21-month-long war, ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have repeatedly faltered over whether the war should end as part of any deal.

Hamas said in a brief statement Wednesday that it had received a proposal from the mediators and is holding talks with them to “bridge gaps” to return to the negotiating table to try to reach a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas has said that it’s willing to free the remaining 50 hostages, less than half of whom are said to be alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and an end to the war.

Israel says it will only agree to end the war if Hamas surrenders, disarms and exiles itself, something the group refuses to do.

“I am announcing to you – there will be no Hamas,” Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said during a speech Wednesday.

An Israeli official said that the latest proposal calls for a 60-day deal that would include a partial Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and a surge in humanitarian aid to the territory. The mediators and the US would provide assurances about talks to end the war, but Israel isn’t committing to that as part of the latest proposal, the official said.

It wasn’t clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for the release of about 10.

Some 50 hostages remain, many of them are thought to be dead.

“I’m holding my hands and praying that this will come about,” said Idit Ohel, mother of Israeli hostage Alon Ohel. “I hope the world will help this happen, will put pressure on whoever they need to, so the war will stop and the hostages will return.”