Hamas accepted the US proposal for a cease-fire

Hamas has agreed to a US offer to start talks on the release of Israeli hostages in Gaza. The agreement came 16 days after the first phase of a deal aimed at ending the war in Gaza permanently.

This news was reported by the news agency Reuters citing a senior Hamas source who did not wish to be named on Saturday.

According to a Reuters report, Hamas has set a condition in this regard. That is – Israel must first commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the reconciliation agreement. Also, the first step would be to allow negotiations for a permanent ceasefire before the six-week ceasefire expires.

A Palestinian official related to this matter said that if Israel accepts the proposal, the outline of the agreement can be drawn up through it. And this could end the 9-month war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.

Meanwhile, a real opportunity to reach an agreement has been created, said a source related to Israel’s negotiating team.

Such comments of the source, who did not wish to be named, basically indicated a change in Israel’s previous position. Earlier, Israel called Hamas’s claim “unacceptable”.

Reuters tried to get the comments of a spokesman of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on this Saturday. However, there was no immediate response.

Earlier on Friday, Netanyahu’s office said that the talks will continue next week and the differences that still exist between the two sides will be discussed.

Hamas attacked Israel on October 7 last year and took 250 citizens hostage. Israel claims that at least 1,200 Israelis were killed in that attack by Hamas, and in response, Hamas started attacking Gaza from that day.

According to Gaza’s health ministry, more than 38,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israeli attacks across the Gaza Strip since October 7. Also, about 87,000 Palestinians were injured.

Sources in the region’s pro-liberation group Hamas said the proposal assured that mediators would guarantee a temporary ceasefire in Gaza, continued aid supplies and the withdrawal of Israeli troops as long as indirect talks aimed at implementing the second phase of the agreement continue.

The past few days have seen both sides pushing for a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza.

Netanyahu also said that David Bernier, head of the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, had returned home after initial meetings with mediators in Qatar. He mentioned that the discussion will continue next week.

Earlier, a report by the US media outlet Wall Street Journal quoted an unnamed Mossad official as saying that Mossad officials believe that the Israeli cabinet will approve the latest ceasefire proposal.

On the other hand, Osama Hamdan, one of the top leaders of Hamas, told AFP on Friday that Hamas expects Israel’s response to the ceasefire proposal in Gaza within days. If the feedback is positive we will discuss the proposals in detail. Hamas has military capabilities in the Gaza Strip. Hamas is still in a good position to continue the war.

Washington has stepped up efforts for a cease-fire and hostage release in Gaza for days, with active diplomacy between Israel and Qatar. A regional source said the US administration is pushing hard to secure an agreement to end the Gaza war before the US presidential election in November this year.

Meanwhile, the Israeli forces have increased military attacks across the Gaza Strip amid the ceasefire agreement negotiations. In the last 24 hours, 29 more Palestinians have been killed and hundreds injured in attacks by occupation forces.

Meanwhile, Hamas and the armed wing of Islamic Jihad said their fighters attacked Israeli forces with anti-tank rockets and mortar bombs in several areas of Gaza. However, no casualties were reported.