“The success of the Paris meeting is dependent on the Occupation (Israel) agreeing to end the comprehensive aggression on Gaza Strip,” senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
It was not immediately clear if, with this condition met, Hamas would free all or some of the 132 hostages who remain in Gaza after being abducted on October 7. Hamas had previously said a full release would require that Israel free all of the thousands of Palestinians held on security grounds in its prisons.
A Palestinian official close to mediation talks who requested anonymity, said that for Hamas to sign a follow-up deal to the November truce in which it released 105 hostages, it wants Israel to agree to end the offensive and withdraw from Gaza, although implementation would not necessarily be immediate.
The agreement would have to be endorsed by Qatar, Egypt, and the United States, the official said. READ MORE
