Hamas Ready to Accept Ceasefire Deal With Israel 'in Stages' - Reports

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Hamas will agree to a complete ceasefire deal with Israel "in stages," Chinese news agency Xinhua reported on Saturday, citing an official source in the Palestinian movement.

A Hamas delegation arrived in Cairo on Saturday to resume indirect talks with Israel on a deal that will reportedly see a pause in fighting and a swap of hostages taken by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a large-scale rocket attack against Israel and breached the border, attacking both civilian neighborhoods and military bases. Nearly 1,200 people in Israel were killed and some 240 others abducted during the attack. Israel launched retaliatory strikes, ordered a complete blockade of Gaza, and started a ground incursion into the Palestinian enclave with the declared goal of eliminating Hamas fighters and rescuing the hostages. Over 34,400 people have been killed so far by Israeli strikes in the Gaza Strip, according to local authorities.

On November 24, Qatar mediated a deal between Israel and Hamas on a temporary truce and the exchange of some of the prisoners and hostages, as well as the delivery of humanitarian aid into the Gaza Strip. The ceasefire was extended several times and expired on December 1. More than 100 hostages are still believed to be held by Hamas in Gaza.

In early April, a new round of Israeli-Hamas talks started in the Egyptian capital of Cairo. The ceasefire proposal made at the talks provided for the release of 40 Israeli hostages in exchange for 900 Palestinian prisoners as a part of a three-stage plan adopted by international mediators. Hamas largely rejected the proposal, saying it would present its plan for a permanent end to the conflict in the region.