Hamas' offer for "final peace" in Gaza

Hamas recently said it was ready for a deal to release all hostages still held in Gaza and for a five-year ceasefire with Israel, whose army struck the Palestinian enclave again, killing at least 35 people.

A Hamas delegation is in Cairo in an attempt to find, together with mediators, a way out of the war that erupted from the commando attack against Israel on October 7, 2023.

Hamas "is ready for a prisoner exchange (of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners) in a single operation and for a five-year ceasefire," a Hamas official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Hamas is seeking a deal that includes a cessation of hostilities, a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops, the exchange of Israeli hostages for Palestinian prisoners and the entry of humanitarian aid into Gaza, where 2.4 million people are facing, according to the UN, hunger and severe health shortages.

Israel, for its part, is demanding the return of all hostages and the disarmament of Hamas, which it has vowed to eliminate.

Mahmoud Mardawi, a Hamas official, reiterated that he wants a "comprehensive agreement" that will include "international guarantees."

Israel “can resume the war after a partial agreement, but it cannot do so after a comprehensive agreement accompanied by international guarantees,” he said in a statement. “We demand that these guarantees be included in any agreement.”

On Friday, the World Food Programme (WFP) announced that it had delivered "the last food supplies to kitchens serving hot meals", which are expected to run out of food in the coming days.

Then, AFP footage showed Palestinians waiting in line at a community kitchen in Nuseirat (center) to fill their pots with beans.

“It’s tragic. There is no food in the solidarity kitchens, there is no food in the markets,” said Wael Odeh, a displaced Palestinian. “The people of Gaza are slowly dying,” said Jonathan Whitall, director of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).

"They are drowning (…) It is not only a matter of humanitarian needs, but also of dignity. It is an affront to human dignity," he told reporters.