GAZA STRIP: A senior Hamas official on Thursday said that the Palestinian group rejects any proposal for a temporary halt to over a year of fighting and relentless Israeli bombardment in Gaza and insists on a permanent ceasefire.
Hamas senior leader Taher al-Nunu told AFP, “The idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one.”
International mediators seeking to broker a Gaza truce are expected to propose a ceasefire of “less than a month” to Hamas, AFP reported on Wednesday while citing a source with knowledge of the truce talks.
Meetings between Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatar’s Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani in Doha, which concluded on Monday, discussed proposing a “short-term” ceasefire of “less than a month”, AFP reported citing the source.
The truce proposal involves exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails and increasing aid delivery to Gaza, the source added. “US officials believe that if a short-term truce deal can be reached, it could lead to a more permanent agreement,” the source said.
Hamas leader Nunu said the Palestinian group had not received any proposal so far from mediators, adding if it gets such a plan, it would respond.
However, Nunu reiterated the demands Hamas has been insisting on for months — “a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians, sufficient humanitarian aid delivery to Gaza and a serious prisoner exchange deal”.
Earlier, Hamas had indicated openness to considering proposals for a Gaza ceasefire, on the condition of Israeli withdrawal and the return of displaced Gazans.
Current mediation efforts led by Egypt, Qatar, and US diplomats have reportedly discussed a possible short-term truce, aiming to create a framework for a more sustainable peace.
Talks in Doha earlier this week, involving high-profile officials from Israel, the U.S., and Qatar, focused on a ceasefire lasting “less than a month,” with a potential pathway toward a more permanent solution if both parties agree.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant are advocating sustained military pressure to ensure favorable conditions for a ceasefire, particularly focusing on the return of Israeli hostages.
While Netanyahu has publicly dismissed a proposal involving a 48-hour ceasefire, ongoing diplomatic negotiations underscore efforts to de-escalate the conflict and address humanitarian needs in Gaza.
News of the potential breakthrough in ceasefire talks came a day after an Israeli air strike on a Gaza residential block killed nearly 100 people and triggered international condemnation.
The latest round of talks, which took place Sunday and Monday in Doha, involved high-level discussions between Mossad chief David Barnea, CIA Director Bill Burns, and Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani.
A strike on Tuesday in Beit Lahia in northern Gaza demolished a residential building, killing at least 93 people, including many children and women, as reported by Gaza’s Civil Defence Agency.
The US State Department condemned the attack, calling it “a horrifying incident with a horrifying result” and urged Israel to provide an explanation for the high civilian toll.
The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) has recorded a total of seven massacres in Gaza over the past week alone. UNOCHA reported that only two out of 20 health service centers and two hospitals, Kamal Adwan and Al Awda, remain partially operational, severely restricting access to essential health services.
Food supplies are also running dangerously low, with 80 percent of Gaza’s population—approximately 1.7 million people—unable to receive rations due to supply chain breakdowns.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel has launched a relentless bombardment campaign in Gaza killing more than 43,163 Palestinians, mostly women and children, according to the Gaza health ministry. The United Nations has declared these figures as reliable.
Israeli forces continued operations on Wednesday, conducting targeted strikes in Khan Yunis. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, three civilians, including a young girl, were killed in a separate strike on a home in Khan Yunis, with two additional fatalities reported in Deir el-Balah.
