Hamas wants a cease-fire and Israel withdraws from Gaza

The leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, Ismail Haniyeh, reiterated on Saturday that his movement calls for a ceasefire and for Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, as part of ongoing negotiations for a ceasefire. One minute in this photo released by the Lebanese government, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas, speaking during a press conference after meeting with Lebanese President Michel Aoun, at the presidential palace, in Baabda, East Beirut, Lebanon, Monday, June. 28, 2021.

Hamas said on Wednesday, December 20. 2023, its main leader, Ismail Haniyeh, has arrived in Cairo for talks about the war in Gaza. These difficult negotiations, including the re-release of the hostages, are ongoing through mediation countries, Egypt, Qatar and the United States. Mr. Haniyeh emphasized in his statement that Hamas “will not accept anything except a ceasefire, the removal of the occupying army in the Gaza Strip, the removal of oppressive restrictions and providing safe housing for displaced people.

He added that people displaced from the northern Gaza Strip should return to their homes, and he called for the release of Hamas prisoners sentenced to long terms in Israel. On Friday US President Joe Biden, for his part, requested a “temporary ceasefire” to allow the release of hostages held by Hamas since October 7. The Israeli army continues its military operations in Khan Younes, a capital city in the southern Gaza Strip presented as a Hamas stronghold with a tunnel-filled underground.