Israel, Hamas takes time on truce: “Some details are missing from the plan”

Hamas is still taking time on the proposal for a truce and release of the hostages. Leaders are reviewing the deal worked out by Israel, Qatar, Egypt and the United States, but it is more time needed to “announce our position”, says Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official in Lebanon, as reported by The Times of Israel. Hamas, Hamdan recalls, is “open to discussing any initiative to put an end to this barbaric aggression against our Palestinian people”.

But while confirming that the group has received the truce proposal drawn up by mediators in Paris, Hamdan says that the agreement has not yet been reached and that the plan is missing some details. “We will announce our position soon,” “based on our desire to put an end as quickly as possible to the aggression that our people suffer,” he adds. A Hamas source says the current proposed three-stage truce includes an initial six-week pause in fighting that would see some hostages released for Palestinian prisoners.

Hamas delegation's visit to Cairo postponed

Meanwhile, a visit to Cairo scheduled for this weekend by a Hamas delegation engaged in negotiations on the release of the hostages and the ceasefire has been postponed, writes the Qatari newspaper “The New Arab”, which cites Egyptian and Doha sources, while a Hamas source explained that “the postponement of the visit by a few days is due to further consultations with resistance forces in Gaza regarding the hostage proposal” which was presented after the meeting in recent days in Paris between the head of the Mossad, the head of the CIA, the Egyptian intelligence and the Prime Minister of Qatar.

The meeting with Haniyeh in Doha

However, the work of international diplomacy continues incessantly to reach an agreement. Turkish intelligence agency chief Ibrahim Kalin met with Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Doha, Qatar, Turkish state broadcaster TRT reported, according to which the two discussed efforts for a ceasefire in Gaza. of Israeli prisoners still held in the Strip and of the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Borrell: “Some EU countries ready to recognize Palestine”

And the EU is trying to give a boost to the agreement by putting the recognition of the Palestinian state on the table. The European Union “cannot recognize any” State, “we do not have this power, the States have it. But I know that some EU member states are thinking of officially recognizing Palestinesaid EU High Representative Josep Borrell. The two-state solution, he adds, “doesn't grow on trees”: if you want to pursue it, you have to “work” to make it a reality.

Belgian Foreign Minister Hadja Lahbib explains that in Belgium “we have the recognition of the Palestinian state in the government agreement. We are waiting for the right moment”. However, the minister also recalls that Hungary and the Czech Republic have “recognized the Palestinian state, but this has not changed the policies”, given that they are now “perceived as very close to Israel. These symbolic recognitions do not change many things, despite the fact which are certainly important and that we are considering doing so. We want a peace plan, which gives a political perspective for a true Palestinian state”, he concludes.