A senior Hamas official on Friday said the Iran-backed militant group is “ready for a ceasefire” in Gaza and urged US President-elect Donald Trump to “pressure” Israel into halting its aggression as the Israeli military continued to pound the Palestinian territory.
“Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected” by Israel, Doha-based Hamas political bureau member Bassem Naim told AFP. “We call on the US administration and Trump to pressure the Israeli government to end the aggression.”
“Hamas informed the mediators that it is in favour of any proposal submitted to it that would lead to a definitive ceasefire and military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, allowing the return of displaced people, a serious deal for a prisoner exchange, the entry of humanitarian aid and reconstruction,” the official added.
Months-long talks for a ceasefire between Israel and Hamas had gone in vain, with both parties disagreeing with key aspects of a truce. These disagreements have largely been over the long-term future of Hamas and Israel’s presence in Gaza. The situation was further complicated by Qatar’s withdrawal from the ceasefire negotiations last week.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s position has been reinforced after Trump’s victory in the US presidential elections, with fears that it could further intensify Israel’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon. Trump has vowed to swiftly end both conflicts.
UNSC Mulls Resolution Demanding ‘Permanent Ceasefire’ In Gaza
On Thursday, the UN Security Council circulated a draft resolution demanding “an immediate, unconditional and permanent cease-fire” in Gaza, although it was unlikely to pass. The United States, Israel’s close ally, holds the key to whether the Council would adopt the resolution, which it has blocked several times before.
This came as funerals were held in Gaza on Friday for 11 Palestinians killed in a series of Israeli airstrikes in and around the central Gaza Strip city of Deir al-Balah, including children. Three people were killed and 15 injured in fresh strikes on Deir el-Balah on Friday.
The war erupted with Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack on Israel which resulted in over 1,200. Israel’s retaliatory campaign has killed 43,764 people in Gaza, most of them civilians, according to figures from the Hamas-run ministry.
Earlier this week, the Hamas-allied militant group Islamic Jihad released a new clip of Israeli hostage Sasha Trupanov, held in Gaza since the October 7 attack on Israel. In the video, the hostage identifying himself as Sasha Trupanov spoke about Israeli military operations in Lebanon, and called on Israelis to increase pressure on the government to secure the release of hostages.
Lebanon Asks Iran For Help In Securing Ceasefire
Israel also continued to pound Lebanon in its conflict against Hezbollah, launching airstrikes in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Israel had dramatically escalated its offensive against Hezbollah with airstrikes that killed most of the group’s top leadership followed by a ground incursion.
Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati urged Iran to help secure a ceasefire with Israel and appeared to convince Hezbollah to pull back from the Israeli-Lebanon border. US Ambassador to Lebanon Lisa Johnson presented a draft ceasefire proposal to Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, two sources told Reuters.
Mikati spoke to Ali Larijani, a top adviser to Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khameini. Larijani said Iran backed Lebanon’s ceasefire proposal and wanted a solution to end the war. “We support in all circumstances the Lebanese government. Those who are disrupting are Netanyahu and his people,” he added.
Lebanon has reportedly urged Iran to help implement UN Security Resolution 1701, which ended the 2006 war between Israel and Hezbollah. Eli Cohen, Israel’s energy minister and a member of its security cabinet, told Reuters that prospects for a ceasefire were the most promising since the conflict began.
