Hamas, the ruling Palestinian group in Gaza, is willing to talk to Israel about stopping the fighting, to find a way to make peace and stop the attacks.
Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said in a speech on TV that they are open to any plan that can end the aggression.
He also said that if Hamas is not involved, any plan for Gaza’s future won’t work.
Haniyeh praised the United Nations for demanding an immediate ceasefire and thanked Saudi Arabia and a committee of Arab and Islamic countries for their efforts to end the conflict.
Hamas doesn’t want any political arrangements after the war that exclude them or other Palestinian groups. They want the international community to put pressure on Israel to stop attacking Gaza.
There are reports that some Hamas leaders have left Qatar and gone to other countries like Lebanon, Iran, or Algeria, but Hamas has not confirmed this.
The conflict between Israel and Hamas has caused a lot of deaths and injuries. Many Palestinians have been killed or wounded in Israeli attacks, and about 1,200 people have died in attacks by Hamas on Israel.
Israel’s President Issac Herzog said that his country is willing to have a temporary break in the fighting for humanitarian reasons. They want the release of hostages in exchange for this ceasefire.
Herzog told foreign ambassadors that Israel is ready to provide aid and pause the fighting if the hostages are released. He blamed Hamas for the responsibility for the situation.
The head of Israel’s spy agency, the Mossad, met with the Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency and the Qatari Prime Minister in Poland to discuss a possible deal to free hostages between Israel and Hamas.
In November, there was a seven-day ceasefire mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States. During that time, some Israeli hostages were released, and humanitarian aid was allowed into Gaza. But the ceasefire ended on December 1, and the fighting resumed.
