Haniyeh claims Hamas response to hostage-ceasefire proposal ‘consistent’ with principles of plan

Hamas Qatar-based leader Ismail Haniyeh claims the terror group’s response to the latest Gaza ceasefire and hostage deal proposal is “consistent” with the principles put forward by US President Joe Biden, in a televised speech on the occasion of the Islamic holiday Eid al-Adha.

Biden said last week that he doesn’t expect a ceasefire and hostage release deal for Gaza to be reached in the near future, saying Hamas needs to shift its position closer to Israel’s US-backed proposal on the table.

Negotiators from the US, Egypt and Qatar have tried for months to mediate a ceasefire in the conflict and free hostages taken from Israel on October 7.

Late last month, Biden publicly laid out the contours of a deal he said had been proposed by Israel that would freeze fighting and free the 116 hostages held in the Strip in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Despite winning the support of the international community, the offer was rejected by Hamas for failing to contain an Israeli commitment to a permanent ceasefire.