GAZA,(Palestine Foundation Information Center) Senior Hamas official Taher al-Nunu announced that the Hamas Movement has agreed to release 10 Israeli captives currently held in Gaza in order to ensure the flow of humanitarian aid and halt the aggression.
In press statements on Wednesday, he said that Hamas is showing significant flexibility in the ongoing negotiations in Doha and is responding positively to mediators, noting that the current round of talks faces major challenges.
He affirmed that Hamas’s position remains firm regarding the fundamental requirements of any agreement with the occupation, foremost among them the complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and a comprehensive cessation of aggression.
Al-Nunu stressed the importance of international guarantees, emphasizing that the United States holds the real leverage over Israel to end the war if it has the political will to do so.
“The only party capable of forcing Israel to stop the war is the United States.”
He continued, “Washington provides Israel with the political, media, and military cover to continue its war on Gaza. Nonetheless, if it exercises political will, that alone would suffice to compel Israel to adhere to any agreement reached.”
Al-Nunu explained that Hamas’s approach to any negotiation process is driven by the interests of the Palestinian people and their overarching national goals, serving as the key motivation behind every detail under negotiation.
According to his statements, Hamas has shown approval and flexibility in the latest proposal to protect the Palestinian people, halt the crime of genocide, and enable the free and dignified flow of humanitarian aid, ultimately leading to the complete cessation of the war.
Speaking about the current round of negotiations, Al-Nunu described them as “not easy” and said they revolve around two key issues.
The first issue concerns the entry and free, dignified flow of aid without Israeli interference or mechanisms that undermine the dignity of the Palestinian people or contribute to displacement and demographic engineering.
The second issue relates to the lines of Israeli withdrawal during the first phase in a way that does not negatively affect the lives and future of civilians and prepares for the second phase of negotiations, with the necessary guarantees for entering this next phase.
Al-Nunu stressed that a comprehensive ceasefire and the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip are essential requirements of any overall agreement with Israel.
He explained that Hamas has maintained this demand from the beginning, “We are talking about an agreement lasting 60 days, during which negotiations would continue regarding a complete ceasefire and comprehensive withdrawal from the Strip.”
He concluded by noting that the first phase of the agreement includes a withdrawal of Israeli forces to the positions they held as of March 2, paving the way to complete negotiations before moving to the second, comprehensive phase.
Currently, a new round of indirect talks is underway in the Qatari capital, Doha, between delegations from Hamas and Israel, aimed at discussing details of an agreement to secure a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, where hostilities have continued since October 7, 2023.
