Hamas says it reached framework agreement with US envoy over Gaza ceasefire
The Palestinian resistance movement Hamas says it has reached a framework agreement with the US special envoy to West Asia, Steve Witkoff, on a permanent ceasefire in Gaza, amid the group’s significant efforts to end Israel’s “brutal” war on the besieged territory.
In a statement on Wednesday, Hamas said the agreement would “achieve a permanent ceasefire, a complete withdrawal of occupation forces from the Gaza Strip, the flow of aid [into the territory], and the establishment of a professional committee to manage the affairs of the strip immediately upon the announcement of the agreement.”
The deal would also involve the release of 10 Israeli captives, and an unspecified number of corpses, in exchange for the release of a mutually agreed-upon number of Palestinian prisoners, according to the statement.
Hamas noted that it was waiting for a final response to the proposed framework.
Israel launched the campaign of genocide in Gaza on October 7, 2023. It has killed at least 54,084 Palestinians there so far, according to the health ministry of Gaza.
In January, the Israeli regime was forced to agree to a ceasefire deal with Hamas, given the regime’s failure to achieve any of its objectives, including the “elimination” of the Palestinian resistance movement or the release of captives.
The 42-day stage of the truce, which was marred by repeated Israeli violations, expired on March 1, but Israel is refraining from stepping into talks for the second stage of the agreement.
On March 18, the regime resumed the strikes on Gaza, breaking the nearly two-month-long ceasefire.
