As the war in Gaza continues to rage on, Hamas has stated that there has been no progress in the truce talks with Israel. With no progress made for the return of the Gaza hostages as well, thousands of Israelis took to the streets on Saturday to demand an urgent hostage deal.
A senior Hamas official has stated that the militant group is ready to discuss a truce proposal with Israel which would lead to the end of the nine-month conflict.
Hamas Ready For Deal With Israel
Speaking at a press conference in Beruit, Lebanon, Osama Hamdan, a senior Hamas leader stated that the group is ready to "positively deal" with Israel for a proposal that calls for a "permanent ceasefire, comprehensive withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza Strip and a serious swap of hostages".
Currently, the deal proposed by US President Joe Biden is under consideration. The three-stage truce plan calls for a swap of all hostages for Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails, delivering aid into Gaza and a ceasefire to all fighting.
Despite the UNSC and G7 endorsing Biden's truce plan, mediator countries Qatar, Egypt and the US have failed to arrive at a conclusion.
Hamas has stated that any truce deal brought forward must end the war for good and Israeli forces must withdraw completely. However, Israel has stated that it will only accept temporary pauses with Hamas and will keep its offensives going until the militant group is "eradicated"
Israelis Demand Urgent Hostage Deal, Early Elections
Taking to the streets once again, around 1,30,000 Israelis marched and called on the Netayahu-led government to finalise on a hostage deal which will bring their loved ones back home.
Family members of the hostages and Israelis frustrated with the government's response in the past eight months called for an end to the war.
"Do not let Netanyahu sabotage the deal again. Netanyahu’s insistence on prolonging the war stands between us and our loved ones," stated one such relative during a conference outside the Israeli defence ministry.
Along with an urgent hostage deal, Israelis also called for early elections. The protestors called for an urgent deal which would end the war, which in turn would lead to early elections and an end to Netanyahu's regime.
