Israel sought to temper optimism surrounding ceasefire negotiations with Hamas, the Times of Israel reported on Friday. “Even though the mediators are speaking optimistically, Israel has yet to hear that Hamas has agreed to retreat from its maximalist positions,” an unnamed Israeli senior official said. An earlier report quoted Israeli officials as claiming that Hamas is setting “harsh conditions” for the deal, although the group allegedly agreed to the first phase of the agreement without insisting that Israel end the conflict. Meanwhile, Hamas said it is “determined” to reach a ceasefire.
Hamas ‘determined’ to reach truce if demands met
Hamas stated on Friday through a Telegram post that both the movement and the resistance forces are “determined” to mature a ceasefire deal that meets the demands of the Palestinian people and emphasized that its delegation will travel to Cairo tomorrow with a “positive spirit” to “complete the discussions.”
“We are determined to reach an agreement that fulfills the demands of our people to stop the aggression, withdraw the occupation, return the displaced, begin reconstruction, and complete the prisoner deal,” the group added.
According to Israeli reports, the group might be open to accepting the first phase of the ceasefire agreement without demanding that Israel put an end to the war with “harsh conditions” for the truce.