The terrorist organization Hamas has accepted the ceasefire proposal prepared by Egypt and Qatar.
Yrjö Kokkonen,
Laura Kangas
19:48•Updated 21:16
The Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas has accepted a ceasefire proposal to stop the conflict in Gaza.
The proposal was drawn up by Egypt and Qatar, which have been mediating the ceasefire negotiations for months.
Several foreign news agencies and media, among others, report on the matter Al-Jazeera.
According to a Hamas statement, one of the leaders of Hamas Ismail Haniyeh has told the Qatari Prime Minister and the Egyptian Minister of Intelligence about the approval by phone.
So far, there is no more detailed information about the content of the proposal.
Israel’s official position has not been given so far.
An Israeli official tells the news agency Reuters that the ceasefire proposal does not work for Israel. According to the official, the proposal is “softened” and contains “far-fetched conclusions” that Israel does not accept.
However, according to the spokesperson of the Israeli army, Israel is seriously studying the proposal. Israel says it will continue its operations in Gaza for the time being.
A spokesperson for the US State Department Matthew Miller told the media in the evening that the United States will discuss the proposal with its allies in the Middle East in the next few hours.
As recently as Monday morning, the Israeli army ordered people to leave the southern parts of Rafah to the city of Khan Yunis and its surrounding areas.
The call is believed to foreshadow Israel’s long-planned ground attack on the region.
Israel has repeatedly stated that it is not ready to end the war permanently until it has destroyed Hamas. Hamas, on the other hand, has demanded a permanent ceasefire.
Israel’s military operations in the Gaza Strip began in October of last year after Hamas carried out a terrorist attack on Israel.
According to the Israeli authorities, approximately 1,200 people died in the Hamas attack. According to the Ministry of Health under Hamas, more than 34,700 people have died in the Gaza Strip since the start of the Israeli attack.
Expert: Hamas’ moderate wing may be winning
Professor of Middle Eastern Studies Hannu Juusola is doubtful that Israel would accept a ceasefire.
He points out that there is still not much information about what the proposal will be exactly.
He has three interpretations of why Hamas accepted the proposal.
– It can tell that this so-called moderate wing would have finally made it inside Hamas [Hamasin sisällä] to victory, Juusola says.
According to Juusola, Ismail Haniye, who announced the ceasefire, represents this moderate wing.
– Another interpretation is that this aims to shift the responsibility for the failure of the negotiations to Israel, because it is very likely that Israel will not accept this, says Juusola.
– The third option is that this is, as it were, an offer that the negotiations will continue. It also plays with time in a way.
According to Juusola, the most important thing for Hamas would be some kind of promise that the conflict would end and that Israel would not attack again after the hostages have been released.
Israel, on the other hand, does not want to end the war until Hamas is destroyed once and for all.
– So, in a way, the completely opposite position to that of Hamas.
Juusola believes that the approach of the Israeli ground attack may also have increased the pressure on Hamas to accept the proposal.
The news will be updated.
Sources: Reuters, AP