Despite no answers from Hamas and Israel, there is hope for a ceasefire in the Middle East. A 40-day ceasefire is apparently planned. Hamas probably asked for time to think about it.
After the recent negotiations in Cairo about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, there are hopes of a breakthrough – even if the reactions of Israel and Hamas are still pending.
“We are confident that the proposal took into account the positions of both sides and tried to persuade both sides to moderate, and we are waiting for a final decision,” Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry said at the World Economic Forum in Riyadh. “There are factors that will influence both sides (…) but I hope that everyone rises to the occasion and realizes that there can be no further loss of life.”
Hamas response expected within two days
A Hamas delegation left the Egyptian capital late on Monday to talk to the militant Islamist organization’s leadership about the latest revised proposal, two Egyptian security sources told Reuters.
Some changes had been made to the conditions for a final ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, as well as to the Palestinian group’s demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip. A response from Hamas is expected within two days.
Thousands demonstrate in Israel for hostage agreement
Several thousand people demonstrated in Tel Aviv in the evening for a negotiated solution to release the Israeli hostages held by the terrorist organization Hamas. “Rafah can wait – she can’t,” read one banner at the rally, according to Israeli media reports.
Relatives of hostages also spoke at the demonstration, calling on the Israeli government to reach a ceasefire and bring the hostages back. “We are parents who want our children back home,” said the father of an abducted soldier. If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doesn’t bring the hostages back, he will have their blood on his hands.
Biden is pushing for agreements
US President Joe Biden also joined the negotiations and pushed for an agreement to be concluded. Biden called on Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani to “make every effort to secure the release of the hostages held by Hamas,” the White House said. This is currently the only obstacle to a ceasefire and aid to the civilian population in the Gaza Strip.
If an agreement accepted by Israel were to come about, the USA would work to ensure that it was adhered to, it said. Biden also emphasized in a conversation with al-Sisi that Palestinians should not be expelled to Egypt or any other place outside the Gaza Strip.
Biden’s spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre had previously called on Hamas to agree to the ceasefire proposal. “In recent days there has been new progress in the talks and at the moment the onus is actually on Hamas. There is an offer on the table and they must accept it,” she said.
Cameron: Offer a 40-day ceasefire
According to British Foreign Minister David Cameron on Monday, Hamas has made an offer for a 40-day ceasefire. In return for the release of hostages held by Hamas, “potentially thousands” of Palestinians should be released from Israeli prisons.