Hamas Ready For Gaza Ceasefire, Official Says; Urges US President-Elect Trump To Pressure Israel For...

Hamas is ready for a ceasefire in Gaza if Israel respects it, an official said. Hamas urged US President-Elect Donald Trump to pressure Israel while strikes continue in Gaza and Lebanon.

File Photo of US President-Elect Donald Trump

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Hamas has expressed readiness for a ceasefire in Gaza, urging US President-elect Donald Trump to exert pressure on Israel as airstrikes on the Palestinian territory continue. “Hamas is ready to reach a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip if a ceasefire proposal is presented and on the condition that it is respected” by Israel, Bassem Naim, a Doha-based Hamas political bureau member, told news agency AFP on Friday. He called on the incoming US administration to “pressure the Israeli government to end the aggression.”

This announcement followed Qatar’s decision, nearly a week prior, to suspend its mediation role in the conflict. Qatar’s foreign ministry spokesperson, Majed Al Ansari, announced that Doha would resume its efforts “when the parties show their willingness and seriousness.”

Israeli Strikes In Gaza, Lebanon Continue

Meanwhile, Gaza residents are enduring continued bombardment. In Deir el-Balah, resident Mohamed Baraka described the destruction following overnight airstrikes. “I woke up to the bombing at 2:30 am and was surprised by the rubble and glass falling on me and my children,” he recounted, noting that the strikes resulted in three deaths and 15 injuries, AFP reported. Baraka pleaded for peace: “Put an end to this war... because there are innocent people who are losing defenceless children who have nothing to do with this.”

The violence is not confined to Gaza. On Friday, Israel launched strikes on Lebanon, targeting areas where Hezbollah, backed by Iran, is entrenched. A massive air offensive followed a call by the Israeli military, warning residents to evacuate parts of Beirut's southern suburbs. “All residents in the southern suburbs, specifically ... in the Ghobeiri area, you are located near facilities and interests affiliated with Hezbollah,” said Israeli army spokesperson Avichay Adraee in an Arabic-language post on X, advising immediate evacuation.

Strikes later in the morning hit Bourj al-Barajneh, with Lebanon's state-run National News Agency (NNA) reporting two missiles fired by an Israeli aircraft. NNA also detailed a “heavy raid” in Ghobeiri, where Israeli drones preceded the strike, as per AFP.

Lebanese authorities report that over 3,380 people have been killed since October last year, when hostilities between Hezbollah and Israel escalated.