TEHRAN- Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of Hamas, informed Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian of the Palestinian resistance group’s response to a planned ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Amir Abdollahian stated in a post on his X account on Monday that Haniyeh valued the hard stances taken by the Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, President Ebrahim Raisi and the Iranian nation in support of Palestine and the Gaza Strip.

In the Sunday phone call, the Iranian minister said that Haniyeh also gave him an update on the most recent events occurring on the ground in Gaza, which is ravaged by conflict.

He also underlined that Haniyeh stated he had sent Hamas’ reaction to a combined proposal from Egypt and Qatar on stopping the attacks by the Israeli authorities, trading prisoners, and removing the siege.

The ball is now in the court of the other team, accoroding to the Palestinian official. Haniyeh was described by Amir Abdollahian as stating that “Hamas has honest intentions.”

In a brief statement released on Monday, Hamas noted that after fighting a seven-month Israeli offensive that has claimed tens of thousands of lives, the group has accepted a ceasefire proposal in Gaza.

The statement said that Haniyeh had notified the mediators from Qatar and Egypt that it approved of their plan for a truce in Gaza.

Iran’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Monday that Haniyeh had informed Amir Abdollahian about the political strategy intended to halt Israel’s attack on Gaza during the negotiations on Sunday night.

It further stated that Haniyeh has reaffirmed Hamas’ position, which is to demand the restoration of the Palestinian people’s rights to reach any kind of political settlement.

For his part, the chief diplomat for Iran praised the courageous fight of the Palestinian people and resistance groups against the Israeli regime during the course of the last seven months of war and slaughter against Gaza.

Additionally, Amir Abdollahian expressed Iran’s support for the plan aimed at bringing the rights of the Palestinian people to fruition. 

This plan calls for the immediate and permanent cessation of crimes committed by the Israeli regime, the lifting of the harsh blockade on Gaza, the exchange of prisoners, the full and unconditional withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Strip, and the reconstruction of the areas devastated by war.

He also gave Hamas an update on Iran’s most recent diplomatic initiatives in support of Palestine and the resistance movement abroad, including the Islamic Republic’s active participation in the Organization of Islamic Cooperation’s (OIC) 15th annual Islamic Summit Conference in Banjul, the capital of Gambia.

According to him, the Israeli soldiers would evacuate to regions close to Gaza during the first phase of the ceasefire.

A permanent truce and an end to hostilities would be proclaimed in the second stage, he added.

Shortly before the invasion, Hamas launched a short-lived but massive military campaign into Israeli-occupied territory close to Gaza, killing about 1,200 Israeli soldiers and settlers.

In October, during its anti-Israeli offensive, Hamas also captured over 250 prisoners. The Israeli regime has been pressing for the release of the prisoners as part of a possible peace agreement with Hamas in response to mounting pressure from settler groups residing in the occupied Palestinian territory.