Hamas spokesman says the group rejects a short-term Gaza truce

A senior Hamas official said Thursday that the group rejects any proposal for a temporary halt to more than a year of fighting in Gaza and insists on a lasting ceasefire. We have already stated our stance against the notion of a brief break in the battle, followed by a return to aggression. Hamas supports a permanent end to the war, not a temporary one,” Taher Al-Nunu, a senior leader of the movement, told AFP. Mediators seeking to broker a Gaza ceasefire are expected to propose a truce of “less than a month” to Hamas, a source with knowledge of the talks told AFP on Wednesday.

A “short-term” truce of “less than a month” was proposed at meetings between Qatar’s prime minister, Mossad leader David Barnea, and CIA Director Bill Burns in Doha that ended on Monday, the source said on condition of anonymity due to the delicate nature of the discussions.

According to the source, the plan calls for expanding aid to Gaza and trading Israeli hostages for Palestinians detained in Israeli jails. According to the source,

“US officials believe that if a short-term deal can be reached, it could lead to a more permanent agreement,” the source said.
Nunu said the group had not received any proposal so far, adding if it gets such a plan, it would respond.
However, he reiterated the demands the group has been insisting on for months — “a permanent ceasefire, withdrawal (of Israeli forces) from Gaza, the return of displaced people, sufficient humanitarian aid to Gaza and a serious prisoner exchange deal.”