Jul 09, Kathmandu- A senior Hamas official has said that it is the responsibility of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to take the next step, insisting that Hamas is positive and flexible with the Gaza ceasefire proposal.

"If the administration wants to end the war, Netanyahu should be pressured to reach a ceasefire", Husam Badran, a member of Hamas's political bureau, said in a statement. Mentioning that the Palestinian people are suffering in the conflict, the Israeli army is hiding behind the false claims of the victims.

According to Egyptian media reports, US Central Intelligence Agency Director William Burns is expected to travel to Cairo this week to participate in talks on a prisoner exchange deal and an end to the nine-month war in the Gaza Strip. An Israeli delegation, including officials from agencies involved in prisoner talks, is expected to arrive in Cairo to resume ceasefire talks in Gaza, media reported.

Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in the Gaza Strip in retaliation for violence committed by Hamas on the southern Israeli border on October 7, 2023. In which 1,200 people were killed and more than 230 were taken hostage.

Since the attack began, Egypt, Qatar and the United States have been trying to broker a ceasefire and prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas.