Israel's Mossad says it is evaluating details of Hamas’s response to cease-fire deal

By Zein Khalil

JERUSALEM (AA) - Israel’s foreign intelligence service Mossad said Tuesday that it received the Palestinian group Hamas's response to the latest plan for a cease-fire in Gaza and it is being thoroughly evaluated.

''Hamas's reply has been conveyed by the Qatari mediator to the Mossad,'' the Israeli Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement on X.

''Its details are being thoroughly evaluated by the officials involved in the negotiations,'' the statement added.

Earlier on Tuesday, Hamas said it had delivered its response to Egypt and Qatar regarding the "framework agreement" for a proposed prisoner swap deal and cease-fire in the Gaza Strip.

Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani said Tuesday that Doha had received Hamas's response to the deal.

''The Hamas response contains notes but is generally positive,'' he added.

Hamas is believed to be holding around 136 Israelis.

Israel has launched a deadly offensive on Gaza following an Oct. 7 cross-border attack by Hamas, killing at least 27,585 Palestinians and injuring 66,978 others, while nearly 1,200 Israelis are believed to have been killed in the Hamas attack.

The Israeli offensive has left 85% of Gaza’s population internally displaced amid acute shortages of food, clean water and medicine, while 60% of the enclave’s infrastructure has been damaged or destroyed, according to the UN.

*Writing by Mohammad Sio