Hamas officials are “approaching a truce agreement” with Israel after weeks of the war in the Gaza Strip, according to Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian group that rules the besieged enclave.
The group delivered its response to Qatari mediators in the ongoing talks, Haniyeh said in a statement to Reuters news agency on Tuesday morning.
The statement gave no more details, but a Hamas official told Al Jazeera that negotiations were centred on how long the ceasefire would last, arrangements for delivery of aid into Gaza and the exchange of Israeli captives held by Hamas for Palestinian prisoners in Israel.
Both sides will free women and children and details will be announced by Qatar, which is mediating in the negotiations, said Ezzat el-Reshiq.
The agreement will include a ceasefire, arrangements for aid trucks to supply all areas in Gaza, and transfer of the injured to other countries for treatment, according to el-Reshiq.
He said the talks between the warring sides have been going on for weeks, adding that the Israeli side was stalling the agreement.
The Hamas official said the deal was agreed upon by all the brigades in Gaza through phone calls, “as we are always united whether it is on the battlefield or in making political decisions”.
Separately, in remarks quoted by Israel’s Walla news website, Hamas senior official Yahya Sinwar said the agreement would prohibit the activity of Israeli aircraft in Gaza during the truce.
