Hamas has reportedly responded positively to the U.S.-arranged Gaza ceasefire proposal.
Earlier this week, President Donald Trump said Israel agreed to conditions to finalize a 60-day ceasefire in Gaza. Trump has said that during the ceasefires, all parties will work to end the two-year war between Israel and Hamas.
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“The Qataris and Egyptians, who have worked very hard to help bring Peace, will deliver this final proposal. I hope, for the good of the Middle East, that Hamas takes this Deal, because it will not get better — IT WILL ONLY GET WORSE,” Trump said on TruthSocial on Tuesday.
A Hamas official said the group delivered its response to a ceasefire to the mediators in Qatar and Egypt. A Palestinian official close to the talks told Reuters on Friday, “The Hamas response is positive, and I think it should help and facilitate reaching a deal.”
A key condition of the ceasefire agreement is the complete release of all Israeli hostages in Gaza, of whom there are 20 still believed to be alive.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to meet Trump in Washington on Monday. Trump said he would be “very firm” with Netanyahu on the need for a ceasefire in Gaza.
TRUMP SAYS ISRAEL HAS AGREED TO CONDITIONS FOR 60-DAY CEASEFIRE IN GAZA
“We hope it’s going to happen. And we’re looking forward to it happening sometime next week,” he told reporters earlier this week. “We want to get the hostages out.”
If the ceasefire is agreed upon, it will mark the third ceasefire since the war began.