Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire proposal 'consistent' with principles of US plan, leader says

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh and Iran's Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian attend a press conference in Tehran
FILE PHOTO: Palestinian group Hamas' top leader, Ismail Haniyeh speaks during a press conference in Tehran, Iran, March 26, 2024. Majid Asgaripour/WANA (West Asia News Agency) via REUTERS/File Photo
Source: Wana News Agency

Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire proposal 'consistent' with principles of US plan, leader says

Hamas' response to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal is consistent with the principles put forward in U.S. President Joe Biden's plan, the group's Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech on the occasion of the Islamic Eid al-Adha on Sunday.

"Hamas and the (Palestinian) groups are ready for a comprehensive deal which entails a ceasefire, withdrawal from the strip, the reconstruction of what was destroyed and a comprehensive swap deal," Haniyeh said, referring to the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

On May 31, Biden laid out what he called a "three-phase" Israeli proposal that would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as phased exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

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Egypt and Qatar - which along with the United States have been mediating between Hamas and Israel - said on June 11 that they had received a response from the Palestinian groups to the U.S. plan, without giving further details.

While Israel said Hamas rejected key elements of the U.S. plan, a senior Hamas leader told Reuters that the changes the group requested were "not significant".

This article was produced by Reuters news agency. It has not been edited by Global South World.