Hamas announced in a statement on Friday that it has delivered its official response to the mediators regarding the latest proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza.
Confirming what Arabi21 had reported earlier, the movement stated that the response it handed over to the mediators was positive, stressing its full readiness to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing the framework.
The statement read:
“Hamas has completed its internal consultations and discussions with Palestinian factions and forces regarding the mediators’ latest proposal to halt the aggression against our people in Gaza. The movement has delivered its response to our brothers, the mediators, which is characterised by positivity, and Hamas is fully prepared to immediately engage in negotiations on the implementation mechanism for this framework.”
On Friday, a well-informed source told Arabi21 that Hamas had delivered its response to the mediators, describing it as positive and paving the way for an agreement backed by American, Qatari, and Egyptian guarantees.
The source added that Hamas’ response included minor amendments that did not affect the core of the proposal. These adjustments mainly address ensuring the continuous flow of humanitarian aid and the uninterrupted delivery of relief supplies to Gaza throughout the truce period, according to the protocol applied on 19 January.
In detail, the response reiterated Hamas’ insistence on the withdrawal of occupation forces during the ceasefire period, in line with the previous truce agreement, and stressed the need for clear and unequivocal American guarantees to maintain permanent ceasefire negotiations until a final agreement is reached — without any resumption of Israeli bombardment.
The source anticipated that an official announcement confirming an agreement could come by midweek, provided the occupation government does not obstruct the new proposal or create excuses to derail the ongoing negotiations, as has happened on previous occasions.
