Hamas receives Israeli counterproposal. The reply: “We will study it.” Iran promises release of seized ship. Cio: “6-8 Palestinian athletes invited to the Paris Games even if they do not qualify”
Hamas is currently examining the latest proposal made by Israel on a possible ceasefire in the fighting in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages. Khalil al-Hayya, Hamas’ number two for Gaza, said the movement would carefully examine the proposal and provide a response once the study was completed. At the moment, however, no specific details regarding this counter-proposal have been disclosed. According to reports in the Israeli press, it has been speculated that the release of the first 20 hostages considered “humanitarian cases” could take place early next week.
Meanwhile, an Egyptian delegation has arrived in Israel to discuss a possible global framework for a ceasefire in Gaza. According to Egyptian media, the delegation’s task is to revive negotiations that have been stalled for weeks and support a truce agreement that includes the release of dozens of hostages.
The Iranian Foreign Minister, Hossein Amirabdollahian, he announced Instead that the crew of the Portuguese-flagged, Israeli-bound container ship MSC Aries has been granted consular access and will be released. The ship was seized by Iranian Revolutionary Guards in the Strait of Hormuz on April 13 with a crew of 25. Amirabdollahian expressed concern about the humanitarian issue of the crew’s release during a phone call with his Portuguese counterpart Paulo Rangel, as reported by Iranian media.
Finally, it was announced that six or eight Palestinian athletes will be invited to participate in the Paris Olympics, even if they do not qualify. This was stated by the president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), Thomas Bach, in view of the opening of the Games scheduled for 26 July.
