Hamas wants Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Gaza

Cairo: A senior official of Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Tuesday that Hamas cannot agree to any deal unless Israel makes a “clear” commitment to a permanent ceasefire and a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Qatar, which is mediating talks between Hamas and Israel along with the United States and Egypt, has also urged Israel to take a clear stance so that a deal can be reached with the support of its full government.

“We cannot agree to any deal that does not provide guarantees and certainties for a permanent ceasefire, a full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and, accordingly, the conclusion of a genuine serious swap agreement,” Osama Hamdan, a Hamas official, said in a televised news conference.

The three-step proposal presented by US President Joe Biden on Friday included a six-week ceasefire in the first phase when Israeli forces would withdraw from “all populated areas” of Gaza and some hostages – including the elderly and women – would be released in exchange for hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Under that plan, Hamas and Israel would negotiate a permanent ceasefire in a single phase, which Biden said would last “as long as Hamas lives up to its commitments.”

Biden said the second phase would see all remaining surviving hostages, including male soldiers, swapped, Israeli forces withdrawn from Gaza and a permanent ceasefire begin.

Hamdan said: “Israel only wants a phase where it takes all its hostages, then it resumes its aggression and war on our people.”

“We urge the mediators to achieve clear conditions for a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from Israeli-occupied territory,” he said.

Hamas had previously said it viewed the contents of the resolution positively.

The United States said on Sunday that if Hamas accepts the proposed plan, it is expected that Israel will follow suit.

The third phase of the proposal would include a major reconstruction plan for the region devastated by eight months of war and the return of the remains of dead hostages to their families.

Disclaimer: This post is auto-published from an agency feed without any modifications to the text and has not been reviewed by an editor

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – Reuters)