TEL AVIV: US national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday he believed a deal on a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release may be close as Israel had signalled it was ready and “we see movement from Hamas.”
After meeting Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Israel on Thursday, he said: “It might not happen but I believe it can happen with political will on both sides.”
Earlier, Hamas said that it welcomed a UN General Assembly vote for an immediate and unconditional ceasefire in Gaza, a symbolic gesture rejected by the United States and Israel.
In a statement, Hamas said “it “welcomes the adoption (on Wednesday) of the UN General Assembly resolution, supported by 158 countries, demanding a ceasefire in Gaza, enabling civilians in the (Gaza) Strip to have immediate access to essential services and humanitarian aid.”
The United Nations General Assembly adopted the resolution on Wednesday by 158 votes to nine with 13 abstentions.
Also read: Israel kills 36 Palestinians in Gaza, targets volatile aid route
The UNSC resolution called for “an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire,” and “the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages” – wording similar to a text vetoed by Washington in the Security Council last month.
Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack sparked the war with Israel in Gaza, said: “Throughout this aggression, we have consistently expressed our willingness to respond to any decisions or initiatives leading to a ceasefire.”
It blamed Benjamin Netanyahu and the United States for the persistent fighting and the sufferings of the Palestinians.
The Hamas attack resulted in the deaths of 1,208 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official figures. That count includes hostages who died or were killed while being held in the Palestinian territory.
Hamas militants abducted 251 hostages, 96 of whom remain in Gaza, including 34 the Israeli military says are dead.
Israel’s retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,835 people in Gaza, a majority of them civilians, according to figures from the health ministry that the United Nations considers reliable.