:quality(85)/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/infobae/ITCTVND7BENTP6QRCUIFZMCMCU.jpg "The US revealed progress towards a truce in Gaza: “The ball is in Hamas’ court”")
Israel has accepted an agreement for a truce in Gaza, according to a senior US official close to the negotiations. The official stated that Israel has agreed to a plan for a new ceasefire in Gaza and now it is up to Hamas to respond. The US official emphasized that the ball is in Hamas’ court and that a ceasefire could begin as early as Saturday if Hamas agrees to release vulnerable hostages, including the sick, wounded, elderly, and women.
The announcement from the US official came shortly after it was reported that a Hamas delegation will be holding negotiations in Cairo, Egypt, to try to reach an agreement before the start of Ramadan. The discussions are focused on interrupting the Israeli offensive and war in Gaza and reaching an agreement on a possible hostage exchange.
The mediation efforts by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States have been ongoing for weeks to achieve mutually acceptable conditions for a truce. The proposed agreement would include a six-week ceasefire in which Hamas would release 42 Israeli hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.
Egypt’s Foreign Minister, Sameh Shukri, has warned that the deadline to reach an agreement is the beginning of Ramadan and that failure to do so could have dire consequences. He emphasized the importance of reaching a truce before the holy month begins to prevent further escalation of the conflict.
Despite ongoing discussions and negotiations, there have been no indications that the agreement would include a definitive ceasefire in Gaza. However, the parties are working on increasing humanitarian aid shipments to the Palestinian enclave to alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
The negotiations continue with the hope of reaching a resolution before the start of Ramadan to prevent further escalation of violence in the region.