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Hamas says ready to release all Israeli captives, discuss details of Trump plan
The Palestinian group says that, in order to end Israel’s war on Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the enclave, it is ready to release all Israeli captives – both those who are living and dead – according to the exchange plan outlined in Trump’s proposal.
“In this context, the movement affirms its readiness to immediately enter into negotiations through the mediators to discuss the details of this agreement,” Hamas said in a statement shared on Telegram.
It also said it agrees to hand over the administration of Gaza to an independent body of Palestinian technocrats, “based on Palestinian national consensus and Arab and Islamic support”.
“Other issues mentioned in President Trump’s proposal regarding the future of the Gaza Strip and the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people are connected to a unified national position and relevant international laws and resolutions,” Hamas said.
They “will be addressed through a comprehensive Palestinian national framework, in which Hamas will participate and contribute responsibly”.
Even if Gaza deal reached, history shows pattern of Israeli violations
Lara Elborno, an international lawyer and human rights activist, explains that Israel has unilaterally violated Gaza ceasefire agreements multiple times in the past – and there has been no political will to hold the country to its commitments.
“That’s what we saw in the last ceasefire that should have continued to the next phases several months ago,” Elborno told Al Jazeera.
“Instead, what we’ve seen is Israel continuing to engineer famine in the Gaza Strip, scaling up its attacks and invasion of Gaza City and ordering all the residents of Gaza City to be expelled so that it can complete [the city’s] destruction … and the continued preventing of unfettered humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip.”
Against that backdrop, Elborno said her concern is that, if Hamas agrees to Trump’s 20-point Gaza proposal, there won’t be a mechanism to compel Israel to comply with its obligations.
Abbas reiterates commitment to hosting elections one year after war ends
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas says Palestine is in a “pivotal and decisive stage” as he reaffirms plans to host general elections one year after a ceasefire, the Palestinian news agency Wafa is reporting.
Abbas said authorities were drafting a temporary constitution for the state – to be completed within three months – that would serve as the basis for the transition from authority to state.
Along with placing a timeline on elections, a commitment that was also made in the New York Declaration, the president affirmed his “determination to continue efforts to broaden international recognition of the State of Palestine and to secure full membership in the United Nations”.
“No party, political force, or individual may run for office unless they commit to the political program and the international and legal obligations of the Palestine Liberation Organization,” Abbas added.
