Hamas wants a complete end to hostilities in Gaza

A senior Hamas official said Monday the Palestinian group wanted a "complete and comprehensive ceasefire" in Gaza, after mediator Qatar said a framework for a temporary truce was being proposed.

"We are talking first of all about a complete and comprehensive ceasefire, and not a temporary truce," Taher al-Nunu told AFP, adding that once the fighting stopped "the rest of the details can be discussed" including a hostage release.

Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been at the forefront of mediation efforts since the outbreak of war between Israel and Hamas on October 7.
The Qatari Prime Minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, recently announced that productive meetings in Paris with CIA chief Bill Burns and high-ranking Israeli and Egyptian security officials have resulted in the establishment of a phased truce framework.

This framework entails the release of women and children hostages as a priority, along with the provision of aid to the besieged Gaza Strip. Sheikh Mohammed expressed hope that Hamas would receive and positively engage with this proposal.

As of Monday, it remained uncertain whether Hamas had indeed received the proposal from Qatar. Qatar has previously mediated a one-week ceasefire in late November, which led to the release of numerous Israeli and foreign hostages, as well as the entry of aid into the besieged Palestinian territory.

The war, which was triggered by Hamas' attack on October 7, has resulted in approximately 1,140 deaths in Israel, primarily civilians, according to official Israeli figures reported by AFP.
Hamas has also taken 250 hostages, with Israel stating that around 132 remain in Gaza, including the bodies of at least 28 deceased captives. Israel's ongoing military offensive in Gaza since then has claimed the lives of at least 26,637 individuals, predominantly women, children, and adolescents, according to the health ministry of the Hamas-ruled territory.