Qatar receives ‘positive’ response from Hamas on hostage deal; militant group calls for ‘permanent ceasefire’
Blinken in Qatar
Qatar’s Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani on Tuesday (Feb 6) said that they have received a “positive” response from the Palestinian militant group Hamas about the recent United States-backed proposal to free hostages in return for pausing the Gaza war with Israel.
Qatar receives ‘positive’ response from Hamas
“We have received a reply from Hamas with regards to the general framework of the agreement with regards to hostages. The reply includes some comments, but in general it is positive,” said the Qatari PM during a press conference with US Secretary of State Antony Blinken in Doha.
WATCH |Blinken meets MBS in Riyadh amid heightened West Asia tensions
Washington’s top diplomat, who is on his 5th visit to the Middle East since Hamas’ October 7 attack triggered the Israel war, said that he will discuss the hostage deal with Israel on Wednesday (Feb 7).
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“There’s still a lot of work to be done. But we continue to believe that an agreement is possible and indeed essential, and we will continue to work relentlessly to achieve it,” said Blinken.
ALSO READ |Middle East crisis: 32 Israeli hostages in Hamas custody dead, claims report
Speaking about the new deal, Washington’s top diplomat said that it “offers the prospect of extended calm, hostages out, more assistance in,” adding that it “would clearly be beneficial to everyone, and I think that offers the best path forward.”
Blinken met the main mediators in Gaza peace talks on Tuesday (Feb 6) during a lightning trip to four countries – Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Egypt, and Israel – in under 24 hours in a bid to secure a deal for an extended truce amid the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas.
Hamas responds to new deal
Hamas, on Tuesday (Feb 6) confirmed that they have handed in their response on a truce deal aimed at halting the war with Israel calling for a permanent ceasefire, the end of the Israeli-Egyptian blockade on Gaza, and the release of Palestinian prisoners.
ALSO READ |Blinken kicks off Middle East visit, meets Saudi crown prince amid rise in tensions
“A short while ago, the Hamas movement delivered its response to the framework agreement to the brothers in Qatar and Egypt,” said the Palestinian militant group in a statement, referring to “a comprehensive and full ceasefire”.
It also said that it “engaged with the proposal in a positive spirit” and was demanding a “comprehensive and complete ceasefire, and ending the aggression against our people, and guaranteeing relief, shelter, reconstruction, lifting the blockade of the Gaza Strip, and completing a prisoner exchange.”
(With inputs from agencies)
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.