GAZA (Dispatches) – Palestinian resistance movement Hamas has said it remains committed to achieving an agreement with the Zionist regime to end the war on Gaza, but only if its conditions including a lasting ceasefire are met.
Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the group’s political bureau, said that Hamas “is serious about releasing Israeli captives within the framework of an agreement” that also ensures the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
He told Al Jazeera Arabic in a televised interview that Hamas will not accept a truce without a permanent ceasefire and a complete halt of the regime’s assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 people – mainly women and children – since the current conflict started in October.
An “unhindered return” of Palestinians across the besieged enclave to their homes, along with the reconstruction of Gaza and “an end to the crippling siege” imposed on it were among the four conditions that al-Hayya reiterated.
Hamas had submitted its response to a United States amendment on April 13 and is still waiting for a reply from the Zionist regime and the mediating parties, he said.
Talks on a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas have been in limbo with the two sides showing few signs that they are ready to compromise on their demands, but international mediators – Qatar, the United States and Egypt – have been engaged in intense behind-the-scenes talks to secure a deal.
Egyptian, Israeli and U.S. officials reportedly held in-person and remote meetings that sought concessions to break the deadlock in the months-long negotiations.
On Friday, Egypt sent a delegation to the Israeli-occupied territories with the hope of brokering a ceasefire agreement, two officials told The Associated Press news agency.
Top intelligence official, Abbas Kamel, was leading the team and planned to discuss a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in the enclave, an Egyptian official said.
Friday’s talks initially focused on a limited exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza “with minimum restrictions”, the unnamed official said.