Hamas submits ‘remarks’ on US-backed Egypt-Qatar truce proposal.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad have responded to the US-backed Egypt-Qatar brokered ceasefire proposal for Gaza with some “remarks,” mediators have stated.
In a joint statement, the militant groups affirmed their readiness for positive engagement to end hostilities and added priority is a complete halt to Israeli attacks.
Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said “remarks” on the plan were submitted to mediators without details. A Hamas official told the groups’ demands include ending Zionist aggression and reconstructing Gaza along with a prisoner exchange deal.
Qatar and Egypt will examine amendments in the response, which reportedly include a complete Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza, Rafah crossing, and Philadelphia corridor, according to Al-Jazeera.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is touring the region to seal an agreement as the UN Security Council greenlit the proposal. He has appealed for post-war Gaza rebuilding aid and governance plans.
Blinken held talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu and the Defense Minister in Tel Aviv after meeting Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi in Cairo on Monday.
The response comes as Biden declares ceasefires were close without materializing, barring a brief November truce. After over eight months of conflict, future diplomacy aims to promote sustainable peace.
