Mrirt – Hamas has renewed its commitment to advance the talks over the ceasefire in Gaza. The Palestinian group announced late Saturday that it accepted a new ceasefire proposal submitted by mediators.
A senior Hamas official announced Saturday that the Palestinian group has accepted a fresh ceasefire proposal presented by Egyptian and Qatari intermediaries, while Israel has submitted its own counter-offer in response.
“We received a proposal from our Egyptian and Qatari mediator brothers two days ago and we’ve approved it,” said Khalil al-Haya during an Eid Al Fitr televised address. He expressed hope that Israel would not “obstruct” the agreement, while emphasizing that “the resistance’s weapons are a red line.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed it had reviewed the proposal and “transmitted a counter-proposal to mediators in full coordination with the United States,” without sharing specifics.
This development comes as Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim indicated that ceasefire negotiations were gaining momentum despite ongoing Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) genocidal bombings in Gaza.
Sources close to Hamas revealed that talks began Thursday evening in Doha, aiming to revive the truce and secure the release of remaining hostages held since October 7, 2023.
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Israel breached a previous fragile ceasefire that collapsed on March 18 when it resumed its bombardment of Gaza. Just before these latest talks commenced, Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if hostages weren’t freed, while Hamas warned captives would return “in coffins” due to the IOF’s continued bombing.
The earlier ceasefire phase, which expired March 1, had successfully facilitated the return of 33 Israeli hostages (eight deceased) in exchange for approximately 1,800 Palestinian prisoners.
According to Israel, 58 of the original 251 hostages taken during the October attack remain in Gaza, with 34 believed to be dead.
The renewed diplomatic push represents the most significant breakthrough in negotiations since the previous agreement collapsed, offering a potential much-need path toward ending Israel’s devastating 18-month genocide on Gaza.
