Top Hamas official Khalil al-Hayya during his interview with AP. (Photo: video grab)
Khalil al-Hayya, the head of Hamas’s negotiating team, says the group has received guarantees from the US and mediators that the first phase of a ceasefire agreement marks a “permanent end” of the Gaza war.
Al-Hayya spoke on Thursday, hours after Hamas and Israel signed the first phase of the agreement proposed by US President Donald Trump.
“We have received assurances from the brotherly mediators and the US administration, who have confirmed that the war is completely over,” he said.
Hamas is expected to release the 20 living hostages 72 hours after the ceasefire begins.
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In addition, Israel will release 250 Palestinians serving long terms in Israeli prisons, as well as 1,700 others who have been arrested since the war erupted on October 7, 2023, Al-Hayya said.
Israel and Hamas have, however, yet to agree on all the matters raised in the Trump administration’s 20-point plan, including long-term governance of Gaza.
Despite talks of a ceasefire, implementation from Israel has yet to happen.
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About an hour ago, an Israeli airstrike was reported to have targeted a residential building in central Gaza City.
Israel’s security cabinet convened on the ceasefire proposal earlier, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government set to vote on the deal.
Announcing the signed deal, Trump said the hostages are likely to be released early next week.
He said he plans to travel to the region to mark the moment.
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But in an interview with Qatar’s Al-Araby TV, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas official, said a “formal declaration” ending the war in Gaza must be made for a hostage release to take place.
