Hamas responds to UN proposal on ceasefire in Gaza

GAZA: Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad said in a joint statement on Tuesday that they had delivered their response to the ceasefire proposal of Qatar and Egypt, expressing a “willingness to deal positively in order to reach an agreement.”

The submission of the response to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators followed the adoption by the United Nations Security Council on Monday of a US draft resolution aiming to reach a comprehensive agreement for a three-phase ceasefire to end the war in Gaza.

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The resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining, urging both parties to the conflict to fully implement the terms of the proposal “without delay and without condition.”

The Hamas-Jihad joint statement emphasized the response prioritizes the interests of the Palestinian people and emphasizes the necessity of completely stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip, demanding a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

It also noted that the delegation from the two Islamic resistance movements expressed the readiness to engage positively to reach an agreement that would end this war against the Palestinian people.

The Qatari Foreign Ministry released a statement on Tuesday, confirming that Qatar and Egypt have received a response from Hamas regarding the proposal on ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

The two countries confirmed that they are mediating alongside the United States until an agreement is reached, said the Qatari Foreign Ministry statement, adding that the mediators “will examine the response and coordinate with the parties concerned regarding the next steps.”

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The statement did not disclose the specific details of Hamas’ response.

Also on Tuesday, an Israeli official said that Israel had received Hamas’s response to the US-drafted proposal for a ceasefire-hostage release deal through relevant mediators. However, the Israeli side maintains that the response of Hamas has altered the basic contents of the proposal, which indicates Hamas’s rejection toward the proposal, according to the official.