The Palestinian group Hamas said Saturday that there is “national consensus” on its response to a recent Gaza ceasefire and prisoner exchange proposal.
Hamas said Friday night that it had delivered a “positive” response to a ceasefire proposal to end the Israeli war on Gaza.
“We held extensive communications with leaders of Palestinian factions to coordinate and consult on our response to the framework paper related to halting the aggression on Gaza and the mechanisms for its implementation,” Hussam Badran, head of Hamas’ National Relations Office, said in a statement.
Badran said these communications “witnessed a high level of practical and serious consultation between Hamas and the national and Islamic factions, resulting in a unified national consensus supporting the position of the Palestinian resistance forces."
He said the Hamas response to the ceasefire proposal “was formulated unanimously and in a positive spirit."
“All Palestinian factions have welcomed this unified response,” Badran stressed.
"These efforts come within the framework of responsible Palestinian leadership seeking to preserve the achievements of our people and ensure a unified Palestinian position to stop the genocidal war against our people in Gaza."
Discussing Hamas response
According to Haaretz newspaper, Israel’s Security Cabinet will convene at 10 pm local time (1900GMT) on Saturday to discuss the Hamas response to the ceasefire proposal and the future of the Gaza war.
Tel Aviv estimates that there are 50 hostages in Gaza, including 20 living captives, while more than 10,400 Palestinians are being held in its prisons, suffering torture, starvation, and medical neglect that have led to the deaths of many, according to Palestinian and Israeli human rights and media reports.
Despite international calls for a ceasefire, Israel has pursued a genocidal war on Gaza, killing more than 57,300 Palestinians, most of them women and children, since October 2023.
The International Criminal Court issued arrest warrants last November for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.
Israel also faces a genocide case at the International Court of Justice for its war on the enclave.
