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Palestinians hope Hamas announcement a ‘positive’ step towards end of bloodshed
The Hamas movement has announced they have agreed on the ceasefire proposal put forth by mediators.
Palestinians around the Kuwaiti Hospital here [in Rafah] have been celebrating the announcement as a positive step, hoping that this step can help prevent a potential military incursion into Rafah.
You can see children, young men and the elderly celebrating. There’s a great sense of optimism here … they are happily chanting away.
They are chanting for peace. They are chanting about returning home.
Residents are now waiting for further confirmation from the Israeli side about a ceasefire deal.
‘We will survive until we get our freedom’
A young Palestinian man says he wants the world to know that Palestinians will survive the war on Gaza.
“We feel so happy that finally Hamas has agreed about the ceasefire but now we are waiting for an Israeli agreement and we hope that they will say it,” he tells Al Jazeera from Rafah.
“It’s after 212 days of genocide, of displacement, of killing of children, women and elderly, even nurses and doctors. It’s about time we have shown the world that we have survived.”
“Gaza is so small but we have survived after 212 days of attacks by the most advanced technical weapons against us. We will not forget and we will not forgive. Everything we have witnessed in this war will be written in history. Palestinians will survive until we get our freedom.”
“We have survived to return to our lands.”
No confirmation from Israeli side
It’s very understandable to see the enthusiasm, excitement and relief in Gaza after Hamas accepted the terms of a ceasefire proposal. However, from the Israeli side, there is absolutely no confirmation.
In fact from Israeli media, a suggestion is being made that this is not a proposal Israel will accept. Channel 13 in Israel, which is usually quite reliable, says that Hamas has accepted a watered-down Egyptian proposal, which is not acceptable to the Israelis.
Only a couple of hours ago, Yoav Gallant, Israel’s defence minister, told the families of the captives that Hamas has rejected all proposals that would enable us to recover the prisoners, and so it requires us to begin an operation in Rafah.
We’ve not been privy to the exact details of what this agreement [Hamas has accepted] is, but there’s nothing official from the Israelis.
Does the Hamas announcement mean a finalised agreement?
It had been clear something major was developing in the ceasefire talks after CIA chief William Burns travelled to Doha on Sunday, but details are key, according to Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra.
“We know this is a phased plan. We know it’s based on an exchange of captives and prisoners as part of a ceasefire, followed by part two, including another exchange. Phase three is going to be more about the reconstruction [of Gaza],” he said.
“Hamas has been insisting until yesterday evening that it will accept a deal if there is a strong guarantee, particularly from the Americans and the mediators that there is going to be a permanent ceasefire.”
Alhelbarra said it is still unclear which terms Hamas has agreed to or whether Israel will follow suit.
“I think we have to give it the upcoming hours to understand exactly what Hamas means. Does it mean that they got strong guarantees from the mediators – Qatar particularly, and the Egyptians – that as soon as they say yes, during the three phases of the agreement, there will be no breach of the ceasefire? We don’t know yet.”
“For me, a strong indication is when the Qataris come out and say publicly there is a deal.”
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