DOHA/CAIRO – Qatar and Egypt have received a response from Hamas regarding the proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, according to a statement by the Qatari Foreign Ministry on Tuesday.
Hamas and other Palestinian factions responded Tuesday to “the most recent proposal for a ceasefire deal and the exchange of prisoners and detainees”, it said.
The two countries confirmed that they are mediating alongside the United States until an agreement is reached, but did not disclose details, according to the statement.
The mediators “will examine the response and coordinate with the parties concerned regarding the next steps”, it added.
The Egyptian Foreign Ministry also announced on Tuesday that it had received a response of Hamas and the Palestinian factions to the latest ceasefire proposal and prisoners-detainees swap deal.
In a joint statement sent to Xinhua, the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad said that a delegation from the two movements delivered the Palestinian factions’ response on Tuesday to Qatar during a meeting with Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, and the response was also delivered to the Egyptian side.
The statement added that the response prioritizes the interests of the Palestinian people and emphasizes the necessity of completely stopping the ongoing war in the Gaza Strip.
It noted that the delegation expressed its readiness to engage positively to reach an agreement that would end this war against the Palestinian people.
The submission of the response follows the adoption by the UN Security Council on Monday of an American draft resolution aiming to reach a comprehensive agreement for a three-phase ceasefire to end the war in Gaza.
The resolution was adopted with 14 votes in favor and Russia abstaining. According to the resolution, the first phase includes an “immediate and complete ceasefire with the release of hostages and the exchange of Palestinian prisoners”.
The second phase will see a permanent cessation of hostilities “in exchange for the release of all other hostages still in Gaza and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza”.
In the third phase, a “major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza” will begin, and the remains of any hostages who were killed and are still in Gaza will be returned to Israel.
The resolution stated that Israel has “accepted” the agreement and “calls on” Hamas to do the same.
Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.