Middle-East

Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire proposal 'consistent' with principles of US plan, leader says

Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh, addresses a press conference in Tehran, Iran, on March 26, 2024. (Photo: Majid Asgaripour/WANA/Reuters)

By Reuters | Sunday, June 16, 2024

On May 31, Biden laid out what he called a "three-phase" Israeli proposal that would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas' response to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal is consistent with the principles put forward in U.S. President Joe Biden's plan.

This is according to the group's Qatar-based leader, Ismail Haniyeh, whose speech was televised on Sunday, on the occasion of the Islamic Eid ul-Adha.

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"Hamas and the (Palestinian) groups are ready for a comprehensive deal that entails a ceasefire, withdrawal from the strip, reconstruction of what was destroyed and a comprehensive swap deal," Ismail said, referring to the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

On May 31, Biden laid out what he called a "three-phase" Israeli proposal that would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as phased exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Egypt and Qatar, which, along with the United States, have been mediating between Hamas and Israel, said on June 11 that they had received a response from the Palestinian groups to the U.S. plan, without giving further details.

While Israel said Hamas rejected key elements of the U.S. plan, a senior Hamas leader told Reuters that the changes the group requested were "not significant."

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