Hamas ready to cooperate in efforts to bring about ceasefire in Gaza

Hamas said it’s ready to cooperate with any effort to bring about a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, after Israel and Hezbollah reached a truce to end months of fighting.

The deal does not address the war in Gaza. International mediators have repeatedly failed to bring Israel and Hamas to a deal that would end the brutal, 13-month-long war.

In a statement, Hamas repeated it would seek the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians and a “real and complete prisoner exchange deal.”

Israel has refused to commit to ending the war under any ceasefire deal and some members of the Israeli government have balked over freeing large number of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for the roughly 100 hostages still held by militants in Gaza.

President Joe Biden said Tuesday he hoped for a renewed international push for negotiations in coming days.