HAMAS is reportedly ready for a ceasefire deal with Israel following the truce forged in Lebanon with Hezbollah.
A senior official from the Palestine-based terror group told AFP that mediators are ready to broker a deal and prisoner exchange.
The Gaza Strip has been destroyed after more than a year of war between Hamas and Israel
Thick smoke and flames erupt from an Israeli airstrike on Tayouneh, Beirut, earlier this month
Armed Hamas terrorists during the only Gaza ceasefire in November 2023
“We have informed mediators in Egypt, Qatar and Turkey that Hamas is ready for a ceasefire agreement and a serious deal to exchange prisoners,” they said.
Israeli and American officials have long said they hoped a Lebanon truce would push for Hamas to follow.
But throughout more than a year of brutal fighting in Gaza – proposed deals have repeatedly been rejected either by Hamas or Israel.
Israel has insisted on leaving troops in Gaza and along the Strip border with Egypt.
Hamas has insisted on a complete withdrawal.
The end to fighting in Lebanon kicked in at 2am GMT on Wednesday morning – with hordes of civilians flooding south to return to their homes.
Israel urged people not the return yet to areas like Beirut – where much of the fighting has been concentrated – while the Israel Defence Forces (IDF) clear out.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared Israel had crippled Hezbollah as he announced the deal on Tuesday night.
He claimed to have “severed the head of the snake” by killing Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and pushing his Lebanese enemy “decades back.”
He said: “Hezbollah chose to attack us from there on the eighth of October. A year has passed – this is no longer the same Hezbollah.
“We eliminated all the senior members of the organisation, we destroyed most of its missiles and rockets, we eliminated thousands of terrorists and we destroyed the underground and terrorist infrastructures near our border – infrastructures that were built over years.
“We attacked strategic targets throughout Lebanon… Lebanon is not the same. All of this would have sounded like science fiction, but it is not.”
He also vowed to renew the strikes on Lebanon if Hezbollah tries to attack again.
“If Hezbollah tries to attack us, if it arms itself and rebuilds infrastructure near the border, we will attack,” he said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announcing the ceasefire with Hezbollah
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