Gaza ceasefire possible within 24 to 48 hours if Israel accepts our demands: Hamas

A senior Hamas official said on Sunday (Mar 3) that a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip might be secured within "24 to 48 hours" if Israel accepts the Palestinian group's demands in the ongoing talks.

Speaking tonews agency AFP, the official said, "If Israel agrees to Hamas demands, which include the return of displaced Palestinians to northern Gaza and increasing humanitarian aid, that would pave the way for a (truce) agreement within the next 24 to 48 hours."

The official's remarks came as Israeli and Hamas delegations were expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday to search for a formula acceptable to both sides for a lasting ceasefire in Gaza.

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On Saturday, a senior US official said that the framework for a six-week pause in fighting was in place, with Israel's agreement, and now depended on Hamas agreeing to release hostages it has held in Gaza since the conflict started on October 7 last year.

"The path to a ceasefire right now literally at this hour is straightforward. And there's a deal on the table. There's a framework deal. The Israelis have more or less accepted it," the official told reporters, adding, that the onus was on Hamas.

Mediators have been scrambling to lock in a truce before Ramadan, eyeing an end to the conflict that has been going on for nearly five months.

The above developments came as the US carried out the first of what it said would be a series of humanitarian airdrops of food into Gaza. A report by the news agency Reuters said that three C-130 US military planes delivered more than 38,000 meals into the Palestinian territory.

Palestinians posted videos on social media showing boxes of aid being dropped.

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Earlier, Washington said that the air drops would be a sustained effort and that Israel supports them. However, critics have said airdrops are far less effective than aid deliveries by truck, and it is nearly impossible to ensure supplies do not end up with militants.

In Washington DC, protesters demanding a ceasefire in Gaza dismissed the Biden administration's airdrop of humanitarian aid. The protesters, who gathered outside the Israeli embassy, said that the US should stop supplying military weapons to Israel.

Speaking to Reuters, protester Kathy Boylan said, "We're dropping some food, and we're dropping the bombs, and the tanks and the bullets and everything else at the same time. That's what he's Biden got to do."

"Stop sending the money in the weapons,” Boylan, who works with the Dorothy Day Catholic Worker Movement, added.

(With inputs from agencies)