Hamas is studying the truce proposed by the mediation team, which includes Egypt, in a “positive spirit”, said the leader of the Palestinian movement, Ismail Haniyeh, this Thursday.
Hamas said in a statement that Haniyeh spoke about the issue during a telephone contact with the head of the Egyptian secret services, Abbas Kamel.
Haniyeh told Kamel that Hamas negotiators will return to Egypt “as soon as possible” to conclude the ongoing talks, according to the statement cited by the French agency AFP.
The Palestinian extremist group has not yet responded to the truce proposal under discussion, casting doubt on a possible agreement after almost seven months of war between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip.
Israel had given Hamas until Wednesday night to comment on the proposal before deciding whether to send negotiators to Egypt.
The negotiations aim at a truce in the war in Gaza triggered by Hamas’ unprecedented attack on Israeli soil on October 7, which caused around 1,200 deaths and two hundred hostages, according to Israel.
Since then, Israel has been carrying out an offensive in Gaza that has already caused around 34,600 deaths and the destruction of much infrastructure, according to data released today by the Hamas government.
