The formal response from Israel to Hamas’ most recent proposal regarding a potential ceasefire in Gaza has been received, and the Palestinian organization says it will review it before responding.
As stated in a statement released by the group on Saturday, deputy Gaza chief Khalil al-Hayya “has received today the official response of the Zionist occupation to the proposal presented to the Egyptian and the Qatari mediators on April 13.”
Negotiations to achieve a ceasefire are at a standstill after more than six months of Israel’s deadly bombardment on the Gaza Strip. Hamas is adamant that any agreement with Israel must terminate Israel’s war on the Palestinian enclave.
An official briefed on the meetings told the French news agency AFP that an Egyptian delegation traveled to Israel on Friday to hold discussions with Israeli officials about finding a way to resume negotiations to end the conflict and repatriate the remaining prisoners detained in Gaza after the attacks on southern Israel on October 7.
The official, who requested anonymity, added that Israel had no fresh demands to make but was prepared to think about a limited truce that would see Hamas release 33 prisoners rather than the 40 that had previously been discussed. In an effort to put an end to the conflict, the US and 17 other nations urged Hamas to free all of its prisoners on Thursday.
Hamas declared that it was “open to any ideas or proposals that take into account the needs and rights of our people” in a statement released on Friday.
The group criticized the joint statement released by the US and others for failing to demand a permanent truce and the evacuation of Israeli soldiers from the Palestinian enclave that has been devastated by violence, but it remained steadfast in its demand that Israel terminate its war in Gaza.
A potential ceasefire to end the war?
On Friday, White House national security advisor Jake Sullivan said he saw fresh life in negotiations to bring the war to an end and release the prisoners. This could be a sign for a potential ceasefire.
According to Axios, which cited two Israeli officials, Israel informed Egyptian mediators that it was prepared to offer negotiations on the release of prisoners “one last chance” before proceeding with a ground invasion of Rafah, which serves as the final port of entry for roughly a million Palestinians who had fled earlier in the war from Israeli forces’ attacks in Gaza to the north.
An international summit that was scheduled to begin this weekend in Saudi Arabia included the conflict in Gaza as one of its agenda items.
The World Economic Forum special meeting, which is set to start in Riyadh on Sunday, will include a session on Gaza on Monday, with participation from Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly, UN Relief Coordinator for the Gaza Strip Sigrid Kaag, and recently appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammed Mustafa.