Hamas informs Hezbollah of agreement on ceasefire proposal

Hamas informed its ally Hezbollah that it has agreed to a proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, a source within the Lebanese group told The National.

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah and top Hamas official Khalil Al Hayya met on Friday to discuss negotiations aimed at ending the nine-month Gaza war.

"They also discussed the latest developments in the ongoing negotiations these days, their atmosphere, and the proposals presented to reach an end to the treacherous aggression against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," Iran-backed Hezbollah said in a statement.

Mr Nasrallah has repeated that the group would stop its attacks on Israel only if the latter halts its bombardment of the Gaza Strip, where about 38,000 Palestinians have been killed since October 7.

The Hamas-Hezbollah meeting comes hours after the Palestinian armed group delivered new "ideas" to reach a deal with Israel and softened its position regarding a permanent ceasefire in the ravaged coastal Strip.

Hamas's new positions include abandoning its demand for an Israeli commitment in writing to a permanent ceasefire at the end of the initial 45-day phase of a plan first announced by President Joe Biden on May 31 for a ceasefire and the release of about 120 Israeli hostages.

Sources told The National on Thursday that Hamas is now willing to accept international guarantees that talks on a permanent ceasefire, or a “sustained calm”, would begin at the start of the first phase and conclude before its end.

According to a Hamas statement, its political leader Ismail Haniyeh has “made contact about the ideas that the movement is discussing with them (Egyptian and Qatari mediators) with the aim of reaching an agreement”.

Turning point on the Lebanese front ?

These positive signals from Hamas regarding a possible new Gaza ceasefire deal might accelerate a resolution on the Lebanese front.

In case of a ceasefire in Gaza, "Hezbollah would not have any issue entering negotiations, "according to a western diplomatic source who spoke to The National on Friday.

Hezbollah opened a "pressure" front on October 8 at the Lebanon-Israel border, in support of its ally Hamas, to divert Israel's military focus from the Gaza strip. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been exchanging daily fire.

The Lebanon-Israel front saw a new dangerous escalation after Hezbollah launched more than 200 rockets and a swarm of drones at 10 Israeli military sites in response to the assassination of a senior commander by an Israeli strike this week.

The diplomatic push has intensified in a bid to avert a full-scale war, including a meeting between US envoy Amos Hochstein and French special envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian in Paris on Wednesday.

"The discussions revolved around the possibility of entering negotiations for border de-escalation. This hinges on two things: a ceasefire in Gaza, and if not, whether the escalation of military operations in the coming weeks along the border might prompt Hezbollah to consider negotiations," the diplomatic source said.

The Lebanese front may be closer to a 'turning point' regarding a decision on whether the country will be drawn into a war with Israel, as the Gaza conflict enters a new phase, reportedly of lower intensity.

The source said that in the coming weeks, Israel could deploy a large number of troops along the Lebanon-Israel border with Israeli forces withdrawing massively from Gaza.

"In the event there is no ceasefire agreement, Israel could exert significant military pressure to compel Hezbollah to enter negotiations," the source added.

Israel has repeatedly threatened a full-scale war, if diplomatic efforts fail. The Israeli military has already approved operational plans for an offensive in Lebanon.

Israeli Defence Minister Yoav Gallant said this week that Israeli forces would take any action necessary against Hezbollah but that they preferred a negotiated arrangement.

Months of negotiations

Mediators from the US and its Arab allies Egypt and Qatar have been trying for months without success to broker a Gaza ceasefire. The only truce in the war, also brokered by these mediators, lasted a week and ended on December 1 after it saw the release of about 100 hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners.

In the latest negotiations, Hamas has also stated its willingness to accept a gradual Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, dropping its previous demand that the pullout must be completed by the end of the first phase, according to the sources.

They said Hamas remains adamant that everyone on its list of Palestinian prisoners incarcerated in Israel who it wants to exchange for the hostages is allowed to walk free. However, said the sources, Hamas was now open to their release over the plan's three phases.

The group's release of the Israeli hostages will be contingent on the progress of the talks on a permanent ceasefire and Israel's withdrawal from Gaza.

The negotiations continued on Friday after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Mossad chief David Barnea to Doha to meet with the Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and other mediators.

US President Joe Biden welcomed the decision to send a delegation in a phone call with Mr Netanyahu on Thursday, the White House said. Mr Biden praised the decision to have Israeli negotiators “engage” with mediators, adding that the two leaders also discussed the response received from Hamas.