Hamas says ready to implement ceasefire without new conditions

CAIRO: The Palestinian Hamas group said on Wednesday that its negotiators reiterated its readiness to implement an "immediate" ceasefire with Israel in Gaza based on a previous U.S. proposal without new conditions from any party.

AI Brief

Palestinian officials met with Qatar and Egypt to discuss Gaza.
Talks stalled over control of the Philadelphi corridor; a new US ceasefire proposal is expected.
The war in Gaza, which began in October 2023, has caused heavy casualties on both sides.

The Palestinian group said in a statement that their negotiation team, led by senior official Khalil al-Hayya, met mediators on Wednesday including Qatar's Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Egypt's intelligence chief Abbas Kamel in Doha to discuss the latest developments in Gaza.

Talks have so far failed to reach a deal to end the 11-month-old war. Lingering issue include control of the Philadelphi corridor, a narrow stretch of land on Gaza's border with Egypt, persisting.

CIA Director William Burns, who is also the chief U.S. negotiator on Gaza, said on Saturday that a more detailed ceasefire proposal would be made in the next several days.

The previous proposal put forward by U.S. President Joe Biden in June laid out a three-phase ceasefire in return for the release of Israeli hostages.

The recent war in Gaza started after Hamas forces attacked Israel on Oct. 7 killing 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, according to Israeli tallies. Israel's offensive has thus far killed at least 41,084 Palestinians and wounded 95,029 others, the Gaza health ministry says.