Hamas accepts a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and is ready to negotiate over the details, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday.
The resolution is based on President Joe Biden's plan for a 3-phased ceasefire, which Israel has submitted to Hamas through US mediators, although it is unclear if Israel and the US are completely in lockstep on all of its details.
Video: Interception over Haifa Bay area on June 11, 2024 / Credit: Security cameras
Rafah has become the last major stronghold of the terrorist group Hamas, and Israel has vowed to retake it as well as part of the effort to topple Hamas, who massacred some 1,200 people in its Oct. 7 invasion of the border communities near the Gaza Strip.
In recent weeks, the US has pressured Israel to avoid a large-scale assault on the city for fear that this would cause widespread destruction and a humanitarian catastrophe. Israel has vowed to maintain its careful separation between the civilian population and combatants and has allowed hundreds of trucks to enter the Gaza Strip daily, including via a floating pier set up by the United States' military.
During his latest visit to the Middle East amid the ongoing conflict in Gaza, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called on Hamas, the Palestinian militant group, to accept a ceasefire proposal put forth by the United States. The United Nations Security Council has voted to support this proposed ceasefire plan.
Blinken said on Tuesday a Hamas statement of support for a UN resolution backing a proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza was a 'hopeful sign,' while word coming from the Palestinian terrorist group's leadership in Gaza is what counts.
Conversations on plans for Gaza following the ceasefire would continue on Tuesday afternoon and in the next couple of days, Blinken said. "It's imperative that we have these plans."
Blinken, who was on his eighth trip to the region since the Gaza war began, urged countries in the area to pressure Hamas into approving the draft ceasefire agreement. While the US has stated that Israel has accepted the proposal, Israeli officials have not formally announced their acceptance. "My message to governments throughout the region, to people throughout the region, is - if you want a ceasefire, press Hamas to say 'yes'," Blinken told reporters in Cairo.
The ceasefire proposal, outlined by US President Joe Biden last month, envisions a gradual cessation of hostilities, ultimately leading to a permanent end to the war. However, Israel has indicated that it will only agree to temporary pauses until Hamas is defeated. At the same time, Hamas has countered that it will not accept any deal that does not guarantee a complete end to the conflict.
