Hamas drops key barrier to ceasefire deal with Israel

Dubai: Several officials in the Middle East and the US believe the level of devastation in the Gaza Strip caused by a nine-month Israeli offensive has likely helped push Hamas to soften its demands for a ceasefire agreement.

Hamas over the weekend appeared to drop its longstanding demand that Israel promises to end the war as part of any ceasefire deal. The sudden shift has raised new hopes for progress in internationally brokered negotiations.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boasted yesterday that military pressure – including Israel’s ongoing two-month offensive in the southern Gaza city of Rafah – ‘‘is what has led Hamas to enter negotiations’’.

Hamas is highly secretive and little is known about its inner workings. In recent internal communications, messages signed by several senior Hamas figures in Gaza urged the group’s exiled political leadership to accept the ceasefire proposal pitched by US President Joe Biden.

The messages, shared by a Middle East official familiar with the ongoing negotiations, described the heavy losses Hamas has suffered on the battlefield and the dire conditions in the war-ravaged territory. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to share the contents of Hamas communications.

It was not known if this internal pressure influenced Hamas’ flexibility. But the messages indicate internal divisions and a readiness among top militants to reach a deal quickly, even if Hamas’ top official in Gaza, Yahya Sinwar, may not be in a rush. He is thought to have been hiding in a tunnel deep under Gaza since the war began in October.