NewzVille International
In a breakthrough in the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict, Hamas announced its positive response to a U.S.-brokered ceasefire proposal and expressed readiness to begin talks immediately. The conflict has now entered its 21st month.
The announcement followed consultations with other Palestinian factions and comes just ahead of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s scheduled visit to Washington on Monday, where U.S. President Donald Trump is pushing for a resolution to the conflict.
Hamas-aligned group Islamic Jihad also expressed support for the ceasefire talks but called for guarantees that Israel would not resume hostilities after hostages held in Gaza are released.
Two earlier ceasefire deals—brokered by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States—led to temporary halts in fighting and saw the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners.