Hamas Ready To Reach Agreement To End War In Gaza

Israeli military operations in Gaza. (Source: Israel Defense Forces)

JAKARTA - The militant group Hamas on Tuesday said it was ready to reach an agreement to end the war in the Gaza Strip but needed assurances, when indirect negotiations with Israel continued in Egypt.

The Hamas and Israeli delegations continued indirect negotiations with Egyptian, Qatar and US mediators on Tuesday, when the latest conflict in the Gaza Strip lasted two years. Negotiations discussed a Gaza peace proposal containing 20 points and initiated by US President Donald Trump.

In negotiations at the Sharm el-Sheikh resort, Egypt, yesterday the head of the Hamas delegation Khalil Al-Hayya told Al Qahera News TV affiliated with the Egyptian Government, the group came "to be involved in serious and responsible negotiations."

He said Hamas was ready to reach an agreement, but they needed "jaminant" to end the war and ensure "the war is not repeated".

Sources close to the negotiations said negotiations had been postponed for the day and the atmosphere was better than Monday.

Meanwhile, Wednesday's negotiations will be a determining indicator of whether progress is possible given the plan to attend senior mediators, the source said.

Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, who has been one of the key mediators, will join the negotiations on Wednesday, an official told Reuters, "with the aim of pushing the Gaza ceasefire plan and the hostage release agreement".

On the side of lai, a US team consisting of special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, also departed to attend negotiations.

President Trump expressed optimism about progress towards the Gaza deal.

"I think there is a possibility that we can achieve peace in the Middle East" more than just Gaza, the US President told reporters in the Oval Room.

President Trump met Witkoff and Kushner, who will join the negotiations on Wednesday, to get the latest information on negotiations before they leave for Egypt, a senior US official said.

They discussed issues such as ensuring the safety of the hostages and security guarantees, the official added.

The negotiations seem to give the greatest hope for ending the war. However, officials from all parties urged caution over the prospect of a quick deal.

Even if the deal is reached, questions will remain about who will rule Gaza and rebuild it, as well as who will finance huge reconstruction costs.

"Delegation of the (Hamas) group participating in negotiations currently in Egypt is trying to overcome all obstacles to reaching an agreement that fulfills the aspirations of our people in Gaza," senior Hamas official Fawzi Barhoum said in a televised statement.

He said the deal must ensure Israel's end of war and full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a condition Israel has never received. Instead, Israel wants Hamas to strip off its weapons, something the group refuses.

Hamas wants a permanent and comprehensive ceasefire, a full withdrawal of Israeli troops, and an immediate start of a comprehensive reconstruction process under the supervision of the Palestinian "national technocratic body", Bahroum said.