By using this site, you agree to our Privacy Policy and our Terms of Use. Close
SvennoJ on 06 May 2024
Edit Thread

Official says Israel ‘examining’ ceasefire proposal agreed by Hamas: Reports

The Israeli government is studying the ceasefire proposal that Hamas said it had accepted, a senior Israeli official has been quoted as saying by news agencies.

“We have received the proposal and are reviewing it. It is not the framework that was agreed upon. We are examining it,” the official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

 

Tel Aviv protest demanding release of captives held in Gaza






‘Cabinet must turn Hamas acceptance into a deal’: Captives’ families

The main organisation created by the families of captives who are still held in Gaza has welcomed the Hamas announcement. “Now is the time for the Israeli government to prove in action its commitment to its citizens,” the Hostage and Missing Families Forum said in a statement.

“The cabinet must take the acceptance by Hamas and turn it into a deal for the return of all of them. The return of the abductees is the key to Israeli security.”

The families have been behind dozens of large-scale protests calling for the return of the captives since the start of the war on October 7 and have been ramping up pressure on top Israeli officials to agree to a deal.

 

Displaced Palestinians in central Gaza rejoice amid Hamas acceptance of truce proposal

Video footage obtained by Al Jazeera shows displaced Palestinians living in tents at Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir el-Balah celebrating Hamas’ss announcement.

“We are living with great joy, and we thank Qatar, Egypt, and everyone who stood with us to stop the war,” Abeer Salibi told Al Jazeera. “It is an indescribable feeling … and we hope that any truce will continue.”

Maha al-Sarsak, a displaced woman from the Shujayea neighbourhood in Gaza, said she had been displaced for seven months. “We hope the ceasefire efforts will continue until we return to our homes,” she said.

Israel has yet to respond to Hamas, but a short while ago said its negotiating team is “studying” the proposal agreed to by the Palestinian group.



Biden ‘briefed’ on Hamas’s response to ceasefire deal

White House national security spokesperson John Kirby has echoed comments by his colleagues at the US Department of State, saying that the US is still reviewing the response by the Palestinian group.

Kirby was also tight-lipped about what exactly Hamas agreed to, but he said that the response was “a result or at the end of” CIA director Burns’s discussions in the Middle East.

“The president has been briefed on the response,” he said. But Kirby stressed that Biden did not discuss the Hamas position during an earlier call with Netanyahu because the response had not been conveyed.

Kirby added that talks were at a “critical stage”, and that he did not want to say anything that would jeopardise the prospects of reaching an agreement.