Hamas to respond to proposed Gaza cease-fire deal on Monday

By Ibrahim al-Khazen

CAIRO (AA) – A Hamas delegation will visit Egypt on Monday to deliver the group’s response to a proposed Gaza cease-fire, a Palestinian source told Anadolu on Sunday.

The source, however, did not provide any further details about the expected response to the proposal.

Egypt’s state-run Al-Qahera news channel confirmed that a Hamas delegation will visit Cairo on Monday.

An Egyptian intelligence delegation held talks with Israeli officials on Friday to discuss a new proposal for a cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

The new proposal includes Israel’s willingness to discuss the “restoration of sustainable calm” in Gaza after an initial release of hostages on humanitarian grounds, two Israeli officials told Axios news website.

Hamas confirmed on Friday that it received a new cease-fire proposal and will respond to it soon.

The Palestinian group demands an end to Israel’s brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip in return for any hostage deal with Tel Aviv.

Israel has launched a brutal offensive on the Gaza Strip since an Oct. 7 Hamas attack, which killed nearly 1,200 people.

More than 34,400 Palestinians have since been killed and thousands injured amid mass destruction and severe shortages of necessities.

More than six months into the Israeli war, vast swathes of Gaza lay in ruins, pushing 85% of the enclave’s population into internal displacement amid a crippling blockade of food, clean water and medicine, according to the UN.

Israel stands accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice. An interim ruling in January ordered Tel Aviv to stop genocidal acts and take measures to guarantee that humanitarian assistance is provided to civilians in Gaza.

* Writing by Ikram Kouachi