Hamas official says group rejects short-term Gaza truce
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Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on a house in Khan Younis, in the southern Gaza Strip, on Oct 30.
PHOTO: REUTERS
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Gaza - A senior Hamas official said on Oct 31 that the group rejects any proposal for a temporary halt to more than a year of fighting in Gaza and insists on a lasting ceasefire.
“The idea of a temporary pause in the war, only to resume aggression later, is something we have already expressed our position on. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one,” Hamas senior leader Taher al-Nunu told AFP.
Mediators seeking to broker a Gaza ceasefire are expected to propose a truce of “less than a month” to Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Oct 30.
Meetings between Mossad head David Barnea, Central Intelligence Agency director Bill Burns and Qatar’s Prime Minister in Doha, which concluded on Oct 28, discussed proposing a “short-term” truce of “less than a month”, the source said on condition of anonymity because of the talks’ sensitivity.
The proposal involves exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and increasing aid to Gaza, the source added.
“US officials believe that if a short-term deal can be reached, it could lead to a more permanent agreement,” the source said.
Nunu said the group had not received any proposal so far, adding if it gets such a plan, it would respond.
However, he reiterated the demands the group has been insisting on for months – “a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from Gaza, the return of displaced people, sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza and a serious prisoner exchange deal”. AFP
