Hamas: Willing to release all hostages to reach a five-year ceasefire agreement

An anonymous Hamas official said on Saturday (April 26) that Hamas is seeking to reach an agreement with Israel aimed at ending the war in Gaza, which will include releasing all hostages at once and reaching a five-year ceasefire agreement.

The official told AFP: "Hamas is prepared to carry out a large-scale exchange of hostages and prisoners at one time and agree to a five-year ceasefire."

Later on Saturday, a Hamas delegation will travel to Cairo to meet with Egyptian mediators to negotiate a ceasefire in Gaza. A senior Hamas official reaffirmed earlier that the disarmament of Hamas was not within the scope of negotiations.

The United Nations World Food Programme said on Friday (25th) that local food stocks have been completely exhausted as Israel has blocked all aid from entering Gaza for more than seven consecutive weeks. After 18 months of war, the current situation in Gaza may be the worst so far.