Hamas gives “positive response” to 60-day ceasefire proposal in Gaza

Gaza [Palestine]: Hamas announced that it had “submitted a positive response” to a 60-day ceasefire proposal with Israel in Gaza, indicating progress toward a potential agreement after months of stalled efforts, CNN reported

In a statement on Friday, Hamas said it had responded positively to the mediators and expressed readiness to begin talks on the implementation of the framework.

Hamas has “submitted a positive response to the mediators, and the movement is fully prepared to immediately enter into a round of negotiations regarding the mechanism for implementing this framework,” the group said.

Israel had earlier accepted the US-backed proposal, clearing the way for both sides to begin final negotiations to work out details before a ceasefire is finalized, CNN reported.

As reported by CNN, Bishara Bahbah, a Palestinian-American interlocutor who has been in direct contact with Hamas, welcomed the response in a Facebook post, stating, “We are now much closer to ending this cursed war.”

He added that Hamas had introduced “amendments it deemed necessary.”

“In my view, these amendments will not prevent reaching a ceasefire agreement within the coming week, God willing,” he said.
An Israeli source familiar with the developments said earlier on Friday that a positive response from Hamas was anticipated, and that the changes made to the proposal language were not expected to disrupt the progress toward a deal, CNN reported.

Under the terms of the proposal, of the 50 Israeli hostages still held in Gaza, 10 — including 8 living hostages on the first day — would be released during the ceasefire, along with the bodies of 18 others. In exchange, an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners and detainees would be freed.

Following the initial release, Israel would withdraw from parts of northern Gaza, and the two sides would begin talks on a permanent ceasefire.

Hamas has been directed to release the hostages without any public displays or ceremonies. Additional hostages would be released on four other dates outlined in the proposal, CNN reported.

Earlier, US President Donald Trump cautioned Hamas against rejecting the ceasefire deal, warning that “it will not get better — it will only get worse,”

“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. Thank you for your attention to this matter!” Trump wrote on his social media platform, Truth Social.

According to Al Jazeera, at least 57,130 Palestinians have been killed and more than 130,000 injured since October 7, 2023, when Hamas launched an attack in southern Israel that left approximately 1,139 people dead. In Gaza, hundreds of thousands have been displaced multiple times, with widespread destruction of cities, hospitals, and schools. The UN estimates that 85 per cent of Gaza is now under Israeli military control.