Hamas official says group rejected Gaza truce proposal

A Hamas official said Friday the group received a proposal from mediators Egypt and Qatar for a short-term truce in Gaza and rejected it for not including a lasting ceasefire.

"The proposals do not include a permanent cessation of aggression, nor do they entail the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip or the return of displaced persons," the official, a member of Hamas's political bureau, told on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to speak publicly on the issue.

A senior Hamas leader, Taher al-Nunu, had already warned on Thursday that the group would reject any proposal for a temporary halt to the fighting.


But Nunu had said the group had not received any formal proposal at the time.

Meetings between Mossad head David Barnea, CIA Director Bill Burns and Qatar's prime minister in Doha, which concluded on Monday, discussed proposing a "short-term" truce of "less than a month", a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday.

The proposal involved exchanging Israeli hostages for Palestinians in Israeli prisons and increasing aid to Gaza, the source added.

The Hamas official who spoke to AFP on Friday said the temporary ceasefire proposal had included an increase in the number of aid trucks as well as a partial exchange of prisoners.

He said the group had responded by restating its position that "what the Palestinian people want is a complete, comprehensive and lasting ceasefire".