The Palestinian group Hamas confirmed this Saturday in a brief statement that has received the truce proposal for the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners by Israel and that it will study it.
“The Hamas movement today received the official response of the Zionist occupation (Israel) to the movement’s position, which was delivered to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators on April 13,” wrote the deputy head of Hamas in the Gaza Strip Khalil al Hiya. .
According to Al Hiya “the movement will study this proposal and once his study is completed he will present his response,” without specifying how long it will take the group to prepare their response
Israel has warned that it will not allow the Palestinian group to delay. On Friday, an Egyptian mediation delegation traveled to Israel to discuss the matter.
What are the advances in the mediation of the Hamas-Israel conflict?
According to Egyptian state television Al Qahera News, at the meetings “notable progress has been made in the rapprochement of the views of the Egyptian and Israeli delegations on a truce in the Gaza Strip”, although he did not provide more details.
Likewise, Egyptian security sources close to the meetings confirmed to EFE that the talks were “fruitful” and that “many obstacles that prevented reaching a truce agreement” were overcome, although Cairo warned against an Israeli invasion in Rafah.
According to sources, the Israeli side would be willing to stop military operations for about six weeks and to allow the return of displaced people to northern Gaza, while giving initial approval for an exchange of hostages held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
According to the Israeli newspaper Walla, the Government of Israel expressed to the Egyptian delegation its readiness for a last attempt at negotiation with Hamas to reach a “temporary” truce before launching a ground invasion in Rafah.
According to the newspaper, Israel is interested in the release of 33 kidnapped people for humanitarian reasons, adding that the ceasefire will depend on the number of Israelis released.
Likewise, Israel has told the Egyptian delegation that preparations for the operation in Rafah They are serious and will not allow Hamas to delay.
Since the October 7 attack, Hamas has held 133 people hostage, of whom it is believed that about half could be dead.
This comes at a time when talks on a ceasefire – mediated by EgyptQatar and the United States – are going through a major stalemate and facing Cairo’s diplomatic offensive to prevent the land invasion of Rafah.
