News - Hamas says it accepts UN resolution on Gaza, is ready to discuss details

Hamas accepts a UN resolution backing a plan to end the war with Israel in Gaza and is ready to negotiate details, a senior official of the Palestinian militant group said on Tuesday, reports Reuters. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken called the statement "a hopeful sign." Discussions also touching on post-war plans for Gaza will continue over the next couple of days, Blinken said in Tel Aviv after talks with Israeli leaders. The US Secretary of State met with Israeli officials on Tuesday. Ahead of Blinken's trip, Israel and Hamas both repeated hardline positions that have scuttled previous rounds of truce mediation. But on Tuesday, senior Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri, who is based outside Gaza, said it accepted the ceasefire resolution and was ready to negotiate over the specifics. Washington must make sure Israel honors its word, Zuhri added. This required a formula stipulating the total withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza and a swap of hostages held in Gaza for Palestinians jailed in Israel, he told Reuters. "The US administration is facing a real test to carry out its commitments in compelling the occupation to immediately end the war in an implementation of the UN Security Council resolution," Abu Zuhri said․