(CNN) – The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said on Tuesday that the movement is “close to reaching a truce agreement” with Israel, according to a statement published on Telegram.
Haniyeh’s statement comes after Hamas delivered a response to the Qatari mediator about the potential agreement.
Haniyeh said: “Hamas has delivered its response to the brothers in Qatar and the mediators, and we are close to reaching a truce agreement.”
The head of the movement’s political bureau did not provide further details about the potential deal.
The Hamas statement supports similar assertions from the White House, as National Security Council spokesman John Kirby said Monday that negotiators are “close to completing” the deal to release hostages held by Hamas, but he refused to go into details of the potential agreement.
“I know everyone is interested in the numbers and who they are going to be (hostages), we are literally working on that right now with both sides,” Kirby said. “So, I think it’s best not to speculate about what that agreement is going to look like. Obviously, we’re focused.” “The American citizens that we know are being held hostage and we want them all out, everyone needs to get out now.”
In recent days, sources told CNN that there may be a potential agreement to secure the release of some hostages and a temporary cessation of fighting on the horizon, after weeks of negotiations between the United States, Israel and Hamas, mediated by Qatar.
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2023-11-21 04:48:08
