The Palestinian Hamas group announced on Wednesday that its negotiators have reaffirmed their willingness to implement an 'immediate' ceasefire with Israel in Gaza, adhering to a previous US proposal without any new conditions from any party.
In a statement, the Palestinian group revealed that their negotiation team, headed by senior official Khalil Al Hayya, convened with mediators on Wednesday, including Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel, in Doha to address the latest developments in Gaza. Despite these discussions, a deal to end the 11-month-old war has yet to be reached. One of the unresolved issues is the control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow strip of land along Gaza's border with Egypt.
CIA Director William Burns, who also serves as the chief US negotiator on Gaza, stated on Saturday that a more comprehensive ceasefire proposal would be presented in the coming days. The previous proposal, introduced by US President Joe Biden in June, outlined a three-phase ceasefire in exchange for the release of Israeli hostages.
The recent conflict in Gaza erupted after Hamas militants launched an attack on Israel on October 7, resulting in the deaths of 1,200 people and the capture of approximately 250 hostages, according to Israeli reports. Israel's retaliatory offensive has reportedly claimed the lives of at least 41,084 Palestinians and injured 95,029 others, according to the Gaza health ministry.
