WORLD NEWS FOR MONTENEGRO DIASPORA
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AUTHOR: M.J. GDNUS
Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States and the European Union, has agreed to a ceasefire proposal in Gaza that it received two days ago from mediators Egypt and Qatar, according to the group's leader.
"Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediators in Egypt and Qatar. We have positively engaged with it and accepted it," said Khalil al-Haya in a televised address, as reported by Reuters.
Al-Haya leads Hamas's negotiation team in indirect talks aimed at securing a ceasefire in the Hamas-Israel war in Gaza, which began in October 2023.
Security sources told Reuters earlier that Egypt had received positive indications from Israel regarding the new ceasefire proposal, which would include a transitional phase.
The proposal suggests that Hamas would release five Israeli hostages every week, sources said.
The Israeli prime minister's office stated that it held a series of consultations regarding the proposal received from the mediators and that Israel had conveyed a counterproposal in full coordination with the United States.
The Israeli prime minister’s office did not immediately respond to Reuters’ inquiry regarding whether they had agreed to the ceasefire proposal.
Israel resumed heavy airstrikes across Gaza about ten days ago, followed by ground operations, after talks to extend the ceasefire with the Palestinian militant group Hamas stalled.
The Ministry of Health in Gaza, which is run by Hamas, reported on March 24 that 730 people had been killed since Israel resumed bombing on March 18.
