No agreement has been reached yet: Top Palestinian Resistance official
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A top Palestinian Resistance official has clarified the current situation on a mediated deal between "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance.
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A Palestinian waves the flag of Palestine during a demonstration in the occupied al-Naqab Desert in occupied Palestine, on the 40th anniversary of Land Day, on March 30, 2016. (AP)
A leading figure from the Palestinian Resistance factions revealed that no agreement around a ceasefire deal has been reached yet.
The remarks come after news outlets reported that Hamas had approved in principle the most recent ceasefire proposal made by Qatari officials. The official described the statement made by the Qatari Foreign Ministry as rushed and inaccurate.
The official explained that the party he represents had "received a message from the Hamas leadership regarding the framework paper that was presented based on the Paris meeting."
It is worth noting that the meeting came up with a momentary ceasefire proposal, which included a three-stage prisoner exchange deal. The meeting was attended by William Burns, the Central Intelligence Agency director, and top Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials.
Read more: What does the Paris document entail?
The leading figure said, "There is no agreement on the framework yet, and Hamas has important remarks (regarding the proposal)."
Hamas officials had announced earlier that its representatives would submit a unified response in Cario, Egypt that represents all Palestinian Resistance factions.
"To date, no delegation from the Hamas leadership has traveled to Cairo, and no date has been set for meetings yet," the top official said.
As reiterated on previous occasions, the official said the Paris Document is currently being studied "based on the agreed-upon national constants."
"The priority will be for a comprehensive cessation of aggression, a complete withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, securing shelters for the displaced, and completing a serious exchange process," the official explained.
He further stressed that "Zionist media outlets are dissipating fabricated and false news to stir up public opinion about the negotiations."
Finally, the official said Egypt and Qatar have unified mediation efforts.
A Qatari official had also told Reuters, "There is no deal yet. Hamas has received the proposal positively but we are waiting for their response."
Meanwhile, the media advisor to the head of the Hamas political bureau told Reuters that the group received the Paris truce proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, but "we haven't given a response to the Gaza truce proposal," adding, "It is still being studied."
"We can't say that the current stage of negotiation is zero and at the same time we cannot say that we have reached an agreement," Taher al-Nono said.
Read more: Exclusive-Hamas, PIJ: No one can force terms on Palestinian Resistance
