Hamas Response to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal ‘Consistent’ with Principles of US Plan, Leader Says

Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayer in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza strip, 16 June 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayer in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza strip, 16 June 2024. (EPA)
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Hamas Response to Gaza Ceasefire Proposal ‘Consistent’ with Principles of US Plan, Leader Says

Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayer in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza strip, 16 June 2024. (EPA)
Palestinians attend Eid al-Adha prayer in Khan Younis town, southern Gaza strip, 16 June 2024. (EPA)

Hamas' response to the latest Gaza ceasefire proposal is consistent with the principles put forward in US President Joe Biden's plan, the group's Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a televised speech on the occasion of the Islamic Eid al-Adha on Sunday.

"Hamas and the (Palestinian) groups are ready for a comprehensive deal which entails a ceasefire, withdrawal from the strip, the reconstruction of what was destroyed and a comprehensive swap deal," Haniyeh said, referring to the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.

On May 31, Biden laid out what he called a "three-phase" Israeli proposal that would include negotiations for a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as well as phased exchanges of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel.

Egypt and Qatar - which along with the United States have been mediating between Hamas and Israel - said on June 11 that they had received a response from the Palestinian groups to the US plan, without giving further details.

While Israel said Hamas rejected key elements of the US plan, a senior Hamas leader told Reuters that the changes the group requested were "not significant".



African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
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African Peace and Security Council Proposes Sudan Roadmap

 Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)
Plumes of smoke rise during clashes between the Rapid Support Forces and the army in Khartoum, Sudan, September 26, 2024. (Reuters)

The African Union’s Peace and Security Council has proposed a roadmap to resolve the war in Sudan.

A delegation from the council is visiting the interim Sudanese capital, Port Sudan, for the first time since the eruption of the war in the country in April 2023.

The delegation informed Sudanese officials that the African Union is seeking a ceasefire in line with a roadmap proposed by its Peace and Security Council. The details of the roadmap were not disclosed.

Sudanese officials, for their part, briefed the delegation on the conflict.

Meanwhile, US Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello told Asharq Al-Awsat that contacts are ongoing with the African Union over a mechanism to monitor the implementation of current and future agreements.

It is best to remain prepared, he added. The international community must assess the options to support the implementation of the cessation of hostilities.

Moreover, he noted that elements that support the ousted regime of President Omar al-Bashir are within the army and opposed to the democratic civilian rule in the country.

He accused them of seeking to prolong the war and returning to rule against the will of the people.

The envoy also said the conflict cannot be resolved through a military solution.

Over the months, the army has wasted opportunities to end the war through negotiations that could restore peace and civilian rule, he noted.

The latest escalation between the army and Rapid Support Forces (RSF) will cost countless lives among civilians, warned Perriello.