GAZA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- Hamas has dealt positively and flexibly with the Gaza ceasefire proposal and it is up to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to make the next move, a senior Hamas official said Monday.
"If the U.S. administration wants to end the war, it should pressure Netanyahu to reach a ceasefire," Husam Badran, a Hamas Political Bureau member, said in a statement. "The Palestinian people are the victims in this conflict, while the Israeli army hides behind false claims of victimhood."
Director of the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency William Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this week to participate in negotiations regarding the prisoner exchange deal and ending the nine-month-long war in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian media reported on Sunday.
An Israeli delegation, including officials from agencies involved in the prisoner negotiations, was expected to arrive in Cairo on Sunday to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza, the media added.
Israel has been launching a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip to retaliate against a Hamas rampage through the southern Israeli border on Oct. 7, 2023, during which about 1,200 people were killed and more than 250 were taken hostage.
Since the offensive began, Egypt, Qatar, and the United States have been making efforts to reach a truce and a prisoner swap between Israel and Hamas. ■
