U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, left, with Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani at Lusail Palace in Doha on Feb. 6.
DOHA GAZA — Palestinian militant group Hamas said on February 6 that it had responded to a proposed ceasefire agreement in Gaza, which also included the release of hostages, and the United States said it remained confident in the possibility of a deal.
Details of the response have not been released immediately, but Egyptian security sources told Reuters that Hamas's response showed flexibility, calling for a concrete timetable for ending the ceasefire after the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday in early April.
In a statement, Hamas said it "responded in a positive spirit to ensure a full and complete ceasefire, an end to the aggression against our people, relief, shelter and reconstruction, the lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip, and the exchange of prisoners."
Senior Hamas Ghazi Hamad told Reuters in a text message that Hamas's goal is to release as many Palestinian prisoners as possible inside Israel.
The Israeli Prime Minister's Office said on the evening of February 6 that the details of Hamas's response "are being thoroughly assessed by the ** involved in the negotiations."
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who is on a lightning trip to the Middle East, said he will discuss Hamas's response with Israel** during his visit to Israel on Feb. 7.
However, Joe Biden, while acknowledging that there was "some progress" on the deal, called Hamas's response "a bit excessive", but did not elaborate. "We're not sure it's in **. Negotiations are still continuing," he said in Washington.
In Doha, Mr. Blinken said: "There is still a lot of work to be done, but we remain confident that an agreement is possible and indeed necessary." After Hamas's response, he spoke at a press conference with Qatari Prime Minister and Minister Sheikh Mohammed Abdurrahman Al-Thani.
Sheikh Mohammed called Hamas's response generally "positive," but also declined to give any details.
An unnamed Hamas** reiterated to Reuters earlier on February 6 that the Palestinian Islamic Movement would not allow the release of any hostages without guarantees of an end to the war and the departure of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The proposed agreement, drafted more than a week ago by U.S. and Israeli spy chiefs at a meeting with Egypt and Qatar, would ensure the release of the remaining hostages held by militants in Gaza in exchange for a long-term suspension of fighting.
Sources close to the talks say the truce will last at least 40 days, during which the militants will release civilians from the remaining hostages they are holding. This will be followed by a further phase of the handover of the bodies of soldiers and hostages in exchange for the release of Palestinians imprisoned in Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would continue to fight until Hamas was eliminated. But the Israeli movement is also growing to demand more effort to bring the hostages home, even if it means a deal with Hamas.
A poll released by the Israel Institute for Democracy, a nonpartisan think tank, found that 51 percent of respondents believe that freeing hostages should be the main goal of the war, while 36 percent believe that Hamas should be overthrown.
Israel's chief military spokesman, Daniil Hagari, said on 6 February that 31 of the remaining hostages in the Gaza Strip had been pronounced dead. Israel previously said 110 hostages were still being held in Gaza after they were released under the only truce reached so far. Last November, Israel also released 240 Palestinians it was detaining.
Wall Street**, citing an assessment shared by Israel with the United States and Egypt**, said that as many as 50 hostages could have died, meaning that about 80 of the hostages held by Hamas are still alive.
Israel began its military offensive against Gaza on October 7 after Hamas-ruled Gazan militants killed 1,200 people and took 253 hostages in southern Israel.
At least 27,585 Palestinians have been confirmed killed in Israeli military operations, with thousands more likely buried under the rubble, the Gaza Health Ministry said.
Israel is advancing its offensive into parts of the Gaza Strip, which is currently providing shelter to hundreds of thousands of people displaced by previous fighting, and its forces say its forces have killed dozens of Palestinian gunmen in the past 24 hours.
The Palestinians hope that Mr. Blinken's diplomatic efforts will finalize a ceasefire before the Israeli army attacks the southern town of Rafah. More than half of Gaza's 2.3 million residents are now taking refuge in Rafah, mostly in public buildings and in tents made of plastic sheets, which are close to the border with Egypt.
On 6 February, Israeli forces continued to put pressure on Khan Younis, the main southern city they had been trying to capture for weeks. Palestinian residents and medical personnel said air and tank bombardment swept across the city during the night, and at least 14 people were killed in air strikes since before dawn.
Rafah, to the south, was also subjected to air strikes and tank shelling. Gaza Health ** said two people were killed in an attack on a house in Rafah and six police officers died after their car was hit.
Israeli leaders said Rafah is now a bulwark for Hamas militant forces and vowed last week to storm the town next, alarming international aid agencies that said 1 million displaced civilians would be trapped at the border fence and put them at risk.
Mahmoud Amir and his family have set up tents in a cemetery in Rafah, hoping that they will be able to live more safely among the dead, including war victims in newly dug graves.
It's better than living in a residential area where the house could collapse on our heads," he said. "There is no water and no proper assistance. The situation is very bad. The dead are comforting, while we who are alive are suffering. February** Dynamic Incentive Plan