Hamas seeks to ‘completely stop’ the war in Gaza

Hamas said it had issued a response to the US-backed ceasefire plan in Gaza. A senior official from the group told the BBC they still asked Israel to commit to a permanent ceasefire.

In a statement, the group and its Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) allies expressed “active readiness” to reach an agreement.

The proposed ceasefire plan – approved by the United Nations Security Council on Monday night – calls for a six-week ceasefire that would eventually become permanent.

Qatar and Egypt – which along with the US are mediating talks between Israel and Hamas – confirmed that the Palestinian group had sent a response.

In a statement Tuesday night, Hamas called for a “complete halt” to fighting in Gaza.

“This response prioritizes the interests of our Palestinian people and emphasizes the need for a complete halt to the ongoing aggression in Gaza,” Hamas and PIJ said.

The groups added that they were ready to “actively participate in reaching an agreement to end this war”.

White House national security spokesman John Kirby said it was “helpful” that Hamas sent a response and that US officials were “evaluating” the group’s requests.

Earlier on Tuesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” to the Gaza ceasefire plan and The world is waiting for Hamas’s response.

The proposal put forward by President Biden last month involved an initial six-week ceasefire, with Hamas releasing some hostages in exchange for Israel releasing an unspecified number of Palestinian prisoners.

The second phase would see the remaining hostages released by Hamas and the withdrawal of all Israeli forces from Gaza as part of a “permanent” ceasefire, but the latter phase would still be negotiated.

Israel’s actual proposal – said to be longer than the summary presented by Mr Biden – has not yet been made public and it is unclear whether it differs from what the president conveyed in his May 31 statement. It was given to Hamas a few days before Mr. Biden’s speech.

Mr. Netanyahu admitted that his war cabinet had approved the plan but had not voiced clear support for it. Far-right members of his cabinet have threatened to leave his coalition and cause it to collapse if the deal goes ahead, seeing it as a capitulation to Hamas.

When Mr. Blinken met with Israeli officials in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, protesters outside his hotel held American flags calling for a deal. Many held photos of hostages and chanted: “SOS, USA” and “we trust you, Blinken, sign a deal.”

Vicki Cohen, mother of Nimrod Cohen, 19, an Israeli soldier kidnapped by Hamas on October 7, holds a banner with his picture.

She told the BBC: “We came here to ask Blinken and the US government to help us, to save us from our own government. Our prime minister does not want to bring our loved ones back , we need their help to put pressure on our government.” “

He then went to the Dead Sea to attend a conference of Arab leaders calling for greater aid access to Gaza, where he said Israel “could do more”. He also announced new aid worth $404 million to the Palestinians, calling on other countries to also “step up” their support.

The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages. Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry says more than 37,000 people have been killed in the Israeli offensive since then.