Khalil al-Hayya, a member of the group’s political bureau, said Hamas “is serious about releasing Israeli captives within the framework of an agreement” that also guarantees the release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
He told Al Jazeera Arabic in a televised interview that Hamas will not accept a force without a permanent ceasefire and a complete cessation of Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip.
Israeli bombing has killed more than 34,000 people – mainly women and children – since the current conflict began in October.
An “unimpeded return” of Palestinians through the besieged enclave to their homes, along with the reconstruction of Gaza and “an end to the crippling siege” imposed on it were among the four conditions al-Hayya reiterated.
Hamas submitted its response to a US amendment on April 13 and is still awaiting a response from Israel and the mediating parties, he added.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan stated Friday that he saw new momentum in talks to end the war in Gaza and return the remaining Israeli hostages.
“I think there is a renewed effort underway involving Qatar and Egypt, as well as Israel, to try to find a way forward,” Sullivan told MSNBC in an interview.
“Do I think there is a new momentum, a new life in these hostage conversations? I think so”.
Ceasefire talks between Israel and Hamas have been in limbo and the two sides have shown few signs of being willing to budge on their demands.
But international mediators – Qatar, the United States and Egypt – have been engaged in intense behind-the-scenes talks to reach an agreement.
Senior Israeli officials have repeatedly called Hamas’ demands “illusory” and have asserted that an Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip would be tantamount to losing the war.
Egyptian, Israeli and American officials reportedly held in-person and remote meetings Wednesday seeking concessions to break the months-long deadlock in negotiations.
On Friday, Egypt sent a delegation to Israel hoping to negotiate a ceasefire agreement, two officials told the Associated Press news agency.
Senior intelligence official Abbas Kamel was leading the team and planned to discuss a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in the enclave, an Egyptian official said.
Friday’s talks would initially focus on a limited exchange of captives for Palestinian prisoners and the return of a significant number of displaced Palestinians to their homes in northern Gaza “with minimal restrictions,” the unnamed official added.
Meanwhile, the United States and 17 other countries called on Hamas to release the captives as a way to end the crisis in Gaza.
“We call for the immediate release of all hostages held by Hamas in Gaza for more than 200 days,” read Thursday’s statement from the leaders of Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, France, Germany and Hungary. , Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Spain, Thailand and the United Kingdom.
He added that the “agreement on the table to release the hostages would bring an immediate and prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, which would facilitate an increase in the necessary additional humanitarian assistance to be delivered throughout Gaza and lead to a credible end to hostilities.” .
Hamas responded to the letter on Friday by saying it regretted that the countries had not emphasized “the need for a permanent ceasefire” in Gaza and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the territory.
The Palestinian group called on the United States and the international community to pressure Israel to end the “crime of genocide” being committed against Palestinians in Gaza.
The back-and-forth comes as Israel has significantly increased its military activities across the enclave and continues with plans for a ground invasion of Rafah in the south, where around 1.5 million displaced Palestinians are sheltered.
The humanitarian situation in Rafah – bordering Egypt – and throughout Gaza remains dire, and the United Nations and others repeatedly stress the need for Israel to allow in more aid.
Eleven-year-old Husam is one of more than 600,000 children who have sought refuge in Rafah, which has been designated a “safe zone” even as the Israeli army continues to bomb it from the air in preparation for a ground attack.
“We are afraid that people will resort to killing each other to get food,” he told Al Jazeera, adding: “A person’s psyche is worn down by fear. “It’s a slow death.”