On Tuesday, head of Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, revealed that the movement had received from Israel a timeline that detailed a ceasefire between the Gaza Strip and Israel. The timeline was brought to Hamas through Egyptian intelligence who had met with Israel to negotiate a Gaza ceasefire.
One of the main points of contention in said negotiations is the handling of prisoners in both territories. Gaza has expressed frustrations with sanctions imposed on Hamas prisoners after the stabbing of two guards by Hamas inmates. The greatest of these sanctions has been the jamming of inmates electronic devices, preventing communication. These has prompted Hamas inmates to threaten a hunger strike.
On the other side, Israel has been working towards the release of two Israeli soldiers and two Israeli citizens as well as the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers. Hamas has stated that an agreement has not been reached concerning these demands.
Israeli officials have not yet decided if they will agree to the demands of Hamas, however a ceasefire is much needed as Hamas continues to launch rockets from Gaza into Israel. Just last week Hamas launched rockets landed in central Israel wounding an entire family.
Hamas was founded in 1987 after the first intifada. The goal of Hamas is to reclaim Israel from the Israelis in order to liberate Palestine. Hamas has a history of being confrontational and violent.
source: The Jerusalem Post
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