Qatar: Hamas gives 'initial positive confirmation' of Gaza ceasefire plan

(Patria) - Hamas has given an "initial positive confirmation" of the proposal for a cessation of hostilities in Gaza and the release of hostages, a spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday.

American, Egyptian, and Qatari mediators met on Sunday in Paris with Israeli intelligence officials, where they proposed a six-week pause in the war in Gaza and an exchange of hostages and prisoners for Hamas, agencies recall.

"This proposal was approved by the Israeli side, and we now have an initial positive confirmation from the Hamas side," Majed al-Ansari told an audience at a postgraduate college in Washington.

However, a Hamas source said there is still no consensus on the proposal. "There is no agreement yet on the framework of the deal... and the Qatari statement is hasty and untrue," the source told AFP in Gaza.

The spokesperson for the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that "a very difficult path still lies ahead".

"We are optimistic because both sides have now agreed to the premise that would lead to the next pause," Ansari said.

"We hope to be able to share good news about it in the coming weeks," he added.

Hamas has received the Paris proposal for a ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza, but has not yet responded to either side, a media advisor to the head of Hamas's Political Bureau told Reuters.

"We say that the current stage of negotiations is zero, and at the same time, we cannot say that we have reached an agreement," said Taher al-Nono. Hamas leader based in Qatar, Ismail Haniyeh, is expected in Cairo for talks on the proposed ceasefire.

A Hamas source told AFP that the three-phase plan would begin with an initial six-week cessation of hostilities, which would lead to more aid deliveries to the Gaza Strip.

Only "women, children, and sick men over 60" held by Hamas would be released during this phase in exchange for Palestinian prisoners in Israel, the source said, requesting anonymity due to the sensitivity of the talks.

There would also be "negotiations on the withdrawal of Israeli forces," with possible further phases involving more hostage and prisoner exchanges, the source said, agencies reported.