Hamas accepts UN-backed Gaza peace proposal, US terms it 'hopeful sign'

Palestinian militant group Hamas has reportedly accepted a United Nations-backed peace proposal to end the war in Gaza, several media outlets reported on Tuesday (June 11) quoting a senior official of the group.

Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri said the group was ready for further negotiations and that it was up to Washington to ensure that Israel abides by the UN resolution.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reacted to the development and called it “a hopeful sign”.

However, he cautioned that a definitive word was still required from the militant group. “That’s what counts, and that’s what we don’t have yet,” he said.

Earlier, Blinken met officials in Israel to court them to end the country’s air and ground offensive against Hamas.

This comes a day after President Joe Biden’s proposal for a truce was approved by the UN Security Council.

Watch:Israel war: A glimpse of Gaza war devastation in the form of numbers

According to the peace proposal, Israel will have to withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza.

Hamas, on the other hand, will have to release hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel.

“The US administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the U.N. Security Council resolution,” Abu Zuhri was quoted as saying by news agency Reuters.

US to provide $404 million in aid for Palestinians

US on Tuesday (Jun 11) declared it will wire another $404 million in humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians in Gaza and the West Bank.

The new aid package willbringthe total amount of US assistance for Palestinians to $674 millionsince the beginning of the Israel-Hamas war.

“As the largest single country humanitarian donor to the Palestinian people, we recognize the urgent need for more assistance to reach civilians given the dire humanitarian conditions and call on all donors to support life-saving operations for Palestinians in Gaza and the region,” a statement from the US State Department said.

“This new funding will provide essential support to vulnerable Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank and the region, including food, safe drinking water, health care, protection, education, shelter and psychosocial support,” the statement added.

Disclaimer: WION takes utmost care to accurately and responsibly report ongoing developments on the Israel-Palestine conflict after the Hamas attacks. However, we cannot independently verify the authenticity of all statements, photos and videos.

(With inputs from agencies)