Hamas Wants Gaza's Armistice To Be Carried Out Immediately

Refugee Children in Khan Younis Gaza lament in the midst of the onslaught of the Israeli/DOK UNRWA attack

JAKARTA - Hamas said the new round of indirect negotiations regarding the Gaza ceasefire resumed in Doha, Qatar, emphasized the group's seriousness in efforts to reach an agreement as soon as possible.

Senior Hamas Basem official Naim said the new talks would focus on final ceasefire approval and withdrawal of Israeli troops, reported by Reuters on Saturday, January 4.

Basem said Israel's ethnic cleansing would be a top priority in its negotiating agenda.

Mediation efforts led by the United States, Egypt, and Qatar to reach a ceasefire in Gaza have yet to succeed as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu refuses to stop the war.

Israel currently has more than 10,300 Palestinian prisoners, while Hamas is said to have detained about 100 Israelis in Gaza.

The group also stated that dozens of hostages had died as a result of Israel's blind airstrikes.

Meanwhile, the White House said Israel's decision to send delegations to Doha, Qatar, to discuss the potential ceasefire in the trapped Gaza Strip was something "exciting."

"We think this is a good step, and of course it does not reduce our hope that an agreement can be reached. We believe that this new deal is very urgent and may be reached, and once again, we welcome Israel's decision to send another team to Doha," said US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby.

"The president has confirmed that his national security team will continue to engage until the end, and we will do everything we can to see if we can broker a new ceasefire agreement that will repatriate the hostages," he said.

"So, I don't have the latest news or an announcement about direct participation, but I can say that we will definitely stay focused on this," he said.

"And once again, we welcome Israel's decision to send another team to Doha. We see this as an encouraging step," Kirby continued.