Hamas responds to ceasefire agreement: Insist on a lasting ceasefire, and other negotiable Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) recently said that they will respond to the ceasefire agreement proposed by Qatar and Egypt as soon as possible, and asked for some changes. Hamas stressed that for them, achieving a lasting ceasefire is of paramount importance, and that other issues are negotiable. It is reported that Qatar and Egypt, on behalf of Hamas, held ceasefire talks with Israel and the United States in Paris, France, and handed over the negotiation plan to Hamas for consideration. Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh once again stressed that the ceasefire negotiations must completely end Israel's military operations in the Gaza Strip and that Israeli troops must withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire agreement package includes a phased short-term ceasefire and the reciprocal release of detainees. However, Hasama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said that Hamas could never accept a phased ceasefire, and that a complete release would be possible only if Israel completely ceased the fighting and released thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
Hamas demanded the priority release of Palestinian prisoners sentenced to life imprisonment and said it could not accept Israel's unilateral establishment of a buffer zone on the Gaza Strip side. This response has sparked concern and reflection on the ceasefire agreement. It seems to us that Hamas's claims are more inclined towards Palestinian interests, and they insist on a lasting ceasefire through a complete truce and the release of prisoners, undoubtedly to protect the lives and interests of the Palestinian people. However, we must also admit that it will not be easy to achieve such a ceasefire. The Israeli side may reject Hamas's demands, and they may think that such conditions are too harsh for them. In addition, the international community also has different views and positions on the settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which makes it more complicated to reach a fair and reasonable ceasefire agreement. However, we cannot let that stop us from our efforts. The achievement of a ceasefire agreement is crucial for both the Palestinian and Israeli sides, and peace and stability can be achieved only through dialogue and negotiation.
We call on the international community to continue to play an active role in promoting dialogue between Palestine and Israel and creating favourable conditions for the conclusion of a ceasefire agreement. In addition, we hope that Hamas will be more flexible in considering a ceasefire agreement in order to provide more possibilities for negotiations between the two sides. We believe that through the joint efforts of both sides, a just and reasonable ceasefire agreement will eventually be realized and a solid foundation will be laid for peace and prosperity in the Palestinian-Israeli region. According to the Associated Press, the Israeli military has begun demolishing buildings in the buffer zone on the border between Israel and the Gaza Strip. Although Israel has never officially recognized the buffer zone, satellite imagery shows that buildings on the Gaza Strip side and within one kilometre of the Israeli border have been demolished by Israel. The new round of ceasefire negotiations is divided into multiple stages, according to the parties. The first phase is a ceasefire between the two sides for at least six weeks, during which Hamas will release civilian women, children and the elderly in exchange for Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners.
In the following phase, Hamas will release the detained Israeli military personnel and return the bodies of the deceased detainees. In addition, the two sides will discuss issues such as the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip. The above is based on the information disclosed by ** on the progress of the ceasefire negotiations.