Hamas Unveils its Vision of Ceasefire with Israel

It includes an end to the aggression against our people in Gaza, delivery of humanitarian aid there, the return of displaced persons to their home regions and the withdrawal of Israeli military from the enclave

© Youssef Mohammed/TASS

CAIRO, March 15. /TASS/. During a meeting with mediators, Palestine’s Hamas movement unveiled its vision of a future ceasefire deal with Israel, Hamas spokesman Izzat al-Rishq wrote on his Telegram channel.

"Today, the movement presented to mediators its vision of a future agreement based on the following principles: an end to the aggression against our people in Gaza, delivery of humanitarian aid there, the return of displaced persons to their home regions and the withdrawal of Israeli military from the enclave," Hamas said.

The spokesman added that the movement viewed these preconditions as "vital for reaching an agreement."

Tensions flared up again in the Middle East on October 7 after militants from the Gaza Strip-based radical Palestinian group Hamas launched a surprise incursion on Israeli territory, killing many Israeli kibbutz residents living near the Gaza border and abducting more than 240 Israelis, including women, children and the elderly. Israel declared a total blockade of the Gaza Strip and launched bombardments of the enclave and some areas in Lebanon and Syria, as well as a ground operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Clashes are also reported in the West Bank.

In late November 2023, Hamas announced an agreement with Israel, which was brokered by Egypt and Qatar, on a four-day humanitarian truce in the Gaza Strip, which took effect on November 24. The sides extended the ceasefire several times but on the morning of December 1 the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) said that Hamas had violated the truce in Gaza and opened fire on Israeli territory, thus prompting the IDF to resume combat operations in the Gaza Strip.

On March 12, the Al Arabiya television channel reported, citing a source in the Hamas leadership, that Hamas had accepted a US-proposed ceasefire plan for the Gaza Strip. According to the source, the US initiative envisages the cessation of hostilities in the enclave and gradual return of displaced persons in exchange for release of some hostages, captured by radicals during their October 2023 attack on Israel. The Hamas delegation is expected to arrive in Cairo within days to discuss details of the deal, the source said. On the following day, the movement officially refuted this information.