Hamas accepts UN ceasefire resolution, ready to negotiate over details, official says
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CAIRO: (Reuters) Hamas accepts a UN Security Council ceasefire resolution and is ready to negotiate over the details, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters on Tuesday, adding that it was up to Washington to ensure that Israel abides by it.

Hamas accepts the UN security council resolution in regard to the ceasefire, withdrawal of Israeli troops and swap of hostages for detainees held by Israel, he said.

“The US administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the UN Security Council resolution,” Abu Zuhri said.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Tuesday that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had “reaffirmed his commitment” to a Gaza ceasefire proposal during their meeting in Jerusalem.

“I met with Prime Minister Netanyahu last night and he reaffirmed his commitment to the proposal,” Blinken said, adding that Hamas’s welcoming of a UN vote on the US-drafted ceasefire resolution was a “hopeful” sign.

“It is hopeful sign, just as the statement issued after the president (Joe Biden) made his proposal 10 days ago was hopeful,” he said.

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“But it’s not dispositive. What is dispositive — or at least what so far been dispositive in one way or another — is the word coming from Gaza and from the Hamas leadership in Gaza. And that’s what counts. And that’s what we don’t have.

“We await the answer from Hamas,” he said.

Late on Monday, Hamas said it “welcomes” the UN Security Council’s vote to adopt a resolution backing the ceasefire plan.

But the Palestinian militant group, which is locked in fierce fighting with Israeli military in Gaza, insisted its demands be met, including a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and a complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.

Blinken said that the military approach was not always “sufficient, and there has to be a clear political plan, a clear humanitarian plan to ensure that Hamas does not in any way, shape or form (remain) in control of Gaza and that Israel can move forward toward more enduring security.”

Meanwhile, the United Nations Population Fund has said that fuel shortages, cash flow restrictions, and high transportation costs are limiting women and girls’ access to vital health and protection services in the besieged Gaza Strip.

In a post on X, the UN’s sexual and reproductive health agency said that “the risks to women and girls are increasing, and if a ceasefire is not achieved, their lives will continue to be at risk.”

The Arab League legislative body has hailed the resolution calling for an immediate and complete ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, including the withdrawal of Israeli forces from it and the return of displaced Palestinians.

In a statement, the Arab Parliament said that this decision is a step in the right direction to stop the continuous aggression and the genocide against Palestinians, despite its delay for eight months due to consistent US vetos.

“The Arab Parliament affirmed support for Palestinians and their rights, as well as establishing a Palestinian State with Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement added, commending Arab and international efforts and Algeria’s role as well as ongoing Egyptian-Qatari mediation efforts.