Posted on 06/11/24
| News Source: Arutz-7
Hamas has given Qatari and Egyptian mediators its official response to the proposal for a hostage and ceasefire deal, Barak Ravid of Axios reported on Tuesday, citing two sources with knowledge of the issue.
Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan later told Al Mayadeen that Hamas' response included several comments on the proposal, which was recently outlined by US President Joe Biden.
He said Hamas is committed to what it said before, which is the demand for a ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
Hamas and Islamic Jihad said in a joint statement, "A joint delegation of Hamas and Islamic Jihad delivered tonight the answer of the resistance factions to the Qataris during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Qatar. The answer was also delivered to Egypt."
"The response prioritizes the interest of the Palestinian people, and the need to completely stop the ongoing aggression in the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian delegation expressed its willingness to act positively to reach an agreement that will end this war against our people based on a sense of national responsibility," said the statement, quoted by Channel 12 News.
According to the proposal outlined by Biden, the first phase of the three-phase process would last for six weeks and would include a full and complete ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli forces from all populated areas of Gaza, and the release of a number of hostages, including women, the elderly, and the wounded, in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian Arab prisoners.
Phase two would see the release of all remaining living hostages, while phase three would encompass "a major reconstruction plan for Gaza," said the President, as well as the repatriation of the remains of deceased hostages to their families.