Hamas Says It Has Agreed to Ceasefire Proposal From Egypt and Qatar
Abeer Salman, Christian Edwards, Becky Anderson and Jeremy Diamond CNN
Supporters attended a Hamas rally to mark the group's 30th anniversary, in Gaza City, Gaza Strip, and many waved the movement’s green flag. (photo: Mohammed Saber/EPA/Shutterstock)
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In a statement Monday, Hamas said the head of its political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, told the Qatari prime minister and Egyptian intelligence minister that the militant group had accepted their proposal.
CNN has asked the Israeli Prime Minister’s office for comment.
It’s unclear whether Hamas has agreed to the most recent ceasefire proposal, as outlined last week, or a revised version of it.
The most recent framework, which Israel helped craft but has not fully agreed to, calls for the release of between 20 and 33 hostages over several weeks in exchange for a temporary ceasefire and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
After the initial exchange, according to that framework, there would follow what sources describe as the “restoration of sustainable calm” during which the remaining hostages, captive Israeli soldiers and the bodies of hostages would be exchanged for more Palestinian prisoners.
A diplomatic source familiar with the talks told CNN that after a day-long meeting in Doha, Qatar’s capital, between CIA Director William Burns and Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, mediators convinced Hamas to accept a three-part deal.
“The bill is now firmly in (Israeli Prime Minister) Benjamin Netanyahu’s court,” the source said.
As news spread in Gaza of Hamas’ announcement, Palestinians began to celebrate in the street in Deir al-Balah, in the center of the Strip, and Gaza City in the north.
The news comes just hours after Israel ordered Palestinians living in Rafah, a city in southern Gaza, to “evacuate immediately.”
The order raised fears that Israel’s long-threatened assault on the city could be imminent. More than 1 million Palestinians have fled to Rafah, where Hamas is believed to have regrouped after Israel’s destruction of much of the north of Gaza.
A source familiar with Israeli plans told CNN that a limited incursion into Rafah was intended to keep pressure on Hamas to agree a deal that would bring about a ceasefire and a hostage release.
