Ready for ceasefire if Israel commits to Gaza withdrawal, prisoner exchange, Hamas tells Egypt

The terrorist group Hamas had told Egyptian officials it was ready to stop fighting in Gaza if Israel committed to a ceasefire deal, a senior Hamas official told AFP on Thursday.

The official said a Hamas delegation discussed “ideas and proposals” related to a Gaza truce with Egyptian officials in Cairo on Thursday. Egypt and Qatar have acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas in months of talks that broke down in August without an agreement to end fighting that began when the Palestinian militant group launched attacks on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023.

“Hamas has expressed readiness to stop the fighting, but Israel must commit to a ceasefire, withdraw from the Gaza Strip, allow the return of displaced people, agree to a serious prisoner exchange deal and allow the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza,” the official said.

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The talks in Cairo were part of Egypt’s ongoing efforts to resume ceasefire negotiations, he added.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed Egypt’s willingness to advance a deal for the release of hostages in the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu said that after there had been meetings in Cairo, which had been a mediator in Gaza ceasefire and hostage release talks, he decided to send the head of the Mossad intelligence agency to Qatar to “promote a series of initiatives on the agenda”.

With inputs from agencies.