Our approval to Egyptian-Qatari ceasefire proposal came after months of negotiations, Hamas official

CAIRO – 7 May 2024: Hamas official Osama Hamdan said, Tuesday that their approval of the Egyptian-Qatari proposal on a ceasefire agreement came after months of negotiations.

 He added that this approval “blocked the way” for the Israeli occupation, which wanted “only one-stage-deal” of which includes releasing the hostages and then return to its aggression against Palestinian people.

He added in statements to al Qahera news channel that “they showed a positive and responsible spirit” during the negotiations while preserving the rights of Palestinian people.

On Monday, Hamas movement informed the Egyptian and Qatari mediators of the movement’s approval of the Egyptian proposal on a ceasefire agreement in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a statement, the movement announced that Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas political bureau, made a phone call with Egyptian Minister of Intelligence Abbas Kamel and Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, informing them the Hamas' approval of the proposal regarding a ceasefire agreement.

The movement’s approval came after intensified efforts made by Egypt and other international parties to contain the situation and prevent escalation of the war when the Israeli army called on residents east of Rafah city in the Gaza Strip to evacuate the area immediately ahead of a ground offensive against the city.

According to Al Qahera News, the Egyptian proposal entails the release of 20-40 captives currently held by Hamas in Gaza, in exchange for Palestinian security prisoners serving lengthy sentences or who are elderly.