The militant group considers it premature to talk about a ceasefire agreement

A senior Hamas official in Lebanon said on Friday that his movement was open to any talks that would lead to an end. “aggression” Israelis in Gaza believed it was premature to talk about an agreement on a ceasefire. A draft ceasefire agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas, drawn up by Qatari, American and Egyptian mediators, specifically provides for the release of hostages in Gaza in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

“Hamas reiterates its readiness to discuss any initiative (…) that could end the barbaric aggression against our Palestinian people in Gaza”, declared Osama Hamdan at a press conference in Beirut. He confirmed that his movement had received the ceasefire proposal, but there were details he said were missing.

This “The proposal is a framework agreement that needs to be studied (…) we cannot talk about an agreement yet”. After the exam, “We will state our position based on our desire (…) to end the aggression against our people as quickly as possible”he added.

Also readMiddle East: Israel seeks ceasefire with Hamas

Freed 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners?

According to a Hamas source, the first phase of the project involves a six-week ceasefire during which Israel would release 200 to 300 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the 35 to 40 hostages still held in Gaza. The war was triggered by an unprecedented attack on Israeli soil by Hamas on October 7, which left more than 1,160 people dead, most of them civilians, according to an AFP count based on official Israeli data.

In response, Israel promised“destroy” Hamas launched a military offensive that killed 27,238 people, most of them civilians, according to a recent report Saturday from the Islamist movement’s health ministry. According to Israel, about 250 people were kidnapped and taken to Gaza on October 7, and 132 hostages are still being held there. 27 of them were declared dead by the army.