Hamas Wants Permanent Ceasefire to Release Israeli Hostages

Hamas has declared that it will release the remaining 134 hostages only when the permanent ceasefire is in place and Israelis completely withdraw from Gaza.

Senior Hamas leader Osama Hamaden said this in a statement in Beirut on Tuesday. Hamas has clearly presented this view before the Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

He said that Hamas had reaffirmed its position that a permanent ceasefire was possible only after a full pullout of the IDF from the Gaza Strip and the return of displaced Palestinian families to their homes.

This decision of Hamas has put doubts on US President Joe Biden’s optimism that a temporary six-week ceasefire would be reached before the start of the Holy month of Ramadan on March 10.

Sources feel, if Hamas backs out of truce talks then Israel will have to go for an all-out attack to release and rescue its hostages.