Hamas: Any ceasefire needs to be permanent

GAZA, May 01 (YPA) – A Hamas official has said the group will respond to an Israeli truce proposal for Gaza “within a very short period”, stressing that any ceasefire needs to be permanent.

Hamas is considering a plan for a 40-day ceasefire and the exchange of scores of hostages for larger numbers of Palestinian prisoners.

Suhail al-Hindi, a senior Hamas official, told Agence France-Presse (AFP)  the group would “deliver its response clearly within a very short period”, although he would not say precisely when that was expected to happen.

Speaking to AFP by phone from an undisclosed location, he said it was premature to say whether the Hamas envoys, who have returned from talks in Cairo to their base in Qatar, felt any progress was made.

He stressed the aim was “to reach an end to this war”.

In the same context, a source familiar with the negotiations mentioned that Qatari mediators expect a response from Hamas within a day or two.

The source pointed out “real concessions” offered by Israel, including a period of “permanent calm” after an initial cessation of hostilities and the exchange of detainees and prisoners. The Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip remains a point of contention.

On the other hand, an Israeli official told AFP that the government “will wait for a response until Wednesday evening” before “making a decision” on sending envoys to Cairo.

E.M