GAZA - Hamas said it has received and will study the latest counterproposal by Israel on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages.
The Israeli proposal is in response to the group’s position delivered to mediators on April 13, senior Hamas official Khalil Al-Hayya said in a statement. Hamas will submit a response to the proposal once it has finished studying it, he said.
Earlier this week, the United States and 17 other nations pressed Hamas to release their citizens who are missing or held hostage in Gaza, in a bid to revive cease-fire talks that have stalled in recent weeks and unlock more humanitarian aid. Hamas is designated a terrorist organization by the US, the European Union (EU) and others.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has come under renewed pressure to reach a truce with the Palestinian militant group amid international concern at his plans for an offensive on Rafah, where a million refugees are sheltering, and protests inside Israel at the fate of the hostages.
The US has been seeking a temporary cease-fire in Gaza that would see Hamas release female, wounded, elderly and sick hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners and a surge of humanitarian aid into the war-torn territory.
Ongoing talks between Israel and Hamas have been mediated by the US, Egypt and Qatar.
Al-Hayya told the Associated Press (AP) on Wednesday that Hamas would lay down its arms if a Palestinian state is established along pre-1967 borders but would not back down from its demands for an end to the war in Gaza and full withdrawal of Israeli forces, which Israel has refused.
