CAIRO (AP)-Hamas on Wednesday suggested that it was open to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, but before accepting a US-supported proposal announced by US President Donald Trump, emphasizing his prolonged situation that any deal ended War in Gaza,
Trump said on Tuesday Israel had agreed to the terms for the 60-day ceasefire in Gaza and urged Hamas to accept the deal before the terms of deteriorating conditions. The US leader has increased the pressure on the Israeli government and Hamas to broker and end the war.
Trump said that the 60-day period will be used to work towards ending the war-some Israel says it would not accept until Humas is defeated. He said that as soon as a deal could come together next week.
But Hamas’s response, which emphasized his demand that the end of the war raised questions about whether the latest proposal could turn into a real break in the fight.
Hamas’s official Taher Al-Nunu said that the terrorist group “was ready and serious about reaching an agreement.”
He said that Hamas “was ready to accept any initiative that clearly leads to the full end of the war.”
According to an Egyptian official, a Hamas delegation is expected to meet Egypt and Katri intermediaries on Wednesday to discuss the proposal. The officer spoke on the condition of anonymity, as he was not authorized to discuss talks with the media.
Israel and Hamas disagree about how the war should end
During a long war of nearly 21 months, the conversation of ceasefire between Israel and Hamas has repeatedly stumbled on whether the war should end as part of any deal.
Hamas has stated that it is ready to free the remaining 50 hostages, at least, half of which is called alive, in exchange for a complete Israeli return from Gaza and the end of the war.
Israel says that it will only agree to end the war if we surrenders, cancels and exile, refuses to do something such a group.
An Israeli official said that the latest proposal asks for a 60-day deal which would include partial Israeli return from Gaza and an increase in humanitarian aid in the region. Media and America will provide assurances about dialogue at the end of the war, but Israel is not committed to it as part of the latest proposal, the official said.
The officials were not authorized to discuss the details of the proposed deal with the media, hence spoke on the condition of anonymity.
It was not clear how many hostages would be freed as part of the agreement, but previous proposals have called for a release of about 10.
Israel has not publicly commented on Trump’s announcement. On Monday, Trump Israeli is ready to host the Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu For talks at the White House, a senior Netanyahu advisor, a few days after Ron Dermer, discussed with top US authorities about Gaza, Iran and other matters.
Trump issues another warning
On Tuesday, Trump wrote on social media that Israel “agreed to the conditions required to finalize the 60 -day ceasefire, during which we will work with all the parties to end the war.”
“I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this deal, because it will not be better – it will only be worse,” he said.
Trump’s warning can find a suspicious audience with Hamas. Even before the end of the longest ceasefire of the war in March, Trump has repeatedly released dramatic ultimatums, under pressure to pressurize Hamas, which will look at the release of more hostages and the return of more aid for the civilian population of Gaza.
Nevertheless, Trump see the present moment as a potential twist point in the cruel struggle that has left More than 56,000 dead In the Palestinian region. The Gaza Health Ministry does not distinguish between citizens and fighters in the count of his death, but says that more than half of the dead are women and children.
The war began on October 7, 2023, when Hamas -led militants attacked Southern Israel, killing 1,200 people and about 250 hostages were taken.
The war has left the coastal Palestinian region in the ruins, with a lot of urban landscape in the fight. More than 90% of the population of Gaza has been displaced, often several times. And the war has created a humanitarian crisis in Gaza, pushing hundreds of thousands of people towards hunger.
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Basem Mru reported from Berut. Joseph Federaman contributed to Jerusalem to this report.
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Follow AP’s war coverage https://apnews.com/hub/israel- hamas-war,
Fatma Khalid, Sammy Maggi and Basem Mru, Associated Press
