Hamas Announce 'Truce Agreement' After Israeli Publishes Massacre Footage

After weeks of brutal conflict between Hamas and the Israeli Defence Forces (IDF), an alleged "truce agreement" is in the works.

In a statement published by his office today, Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of the proscribed terrorist group that has governed Gaza since 2007, said that Hamas officials are "approaching a truce agreement" with Israel.

In a statement sent to the Reuters news agency this morning, Haniyeh said that the mention of a possible truce comes as a response to Qatari mediators who have been facilitating ongoing peace talks.

The negotiations have regarding the length of a ceasefire and discussions that focus on arranging an immediate delivery of aid into Gaza.

Hamas officials told reporters that the ceasefire agreement would also see the release of Israeli captives being held by Hamas militants in Gaza, as well as the release of Palestinian prisoners being held in Israel.

According to Ezzat el-Reshiq, a member of Hamas' Politburo and part of its negotiating team, both opponents are expected to free women and children.

El-Reshiq also told reporters that the agreement will also facilitate the transportation of casualties through the Rafah crossing for treatment elsewhere.

There are more than 30,000 Palestinians who are thought to be injured in Gaza, with the Hamas-run Health Ministry noting that 75 per cent of them are children.

The member of Hamas' Politburo also claimed that negotiations between the two sides have been happening for weeks, but due to Israel allegedly stalling any agreement, there have been few developments until now.

The deal has been confirmed by all of the Hamas brigades in Gaza through phone conversations, said El-Reshiq, adding that "we are always united whether it is on the battlefield or in making political decisions".

In less than 50 days, the catastrophic fighting between the militants has resulted in more than 13,300 Palestinians being killed, including more than 5,500 children, according to the Gaza-based government and media office.

Last week, medical professionals also reported that eight premature babies had died while in the al-Shifa Hospital – Gaza's largest medical facility – after fuel restrictions put life-saving equipment out of use.

A further 28 premature babies, the number has been revised, have since been transported through the Rafah crossing to Egypt where they will receive medical attention at the Emirati hospital.

The number of deaths also includes 201 medical personnel, 22 members of rescue teams and 60 journalists – the media office said.

In Israel, on 7 October, more than 1,200 people were killed by Hamas in an on-the-ground massacre. More than 40 people also remain kidnapped by the militants, including children and infants as young as 10 months old.

This week, after Hamas took down its website, on Monday 20 November, an Israeli entrepreneur created a webpage that mimicked the militant organisation and exposed the atrocities that it committed on October 7.

The website was dubbed 'Hamas.com' and contained footage that Israel says was taken by Hamas cameras.

The gruesome video footage and images depict Israeli civilians and animals being beaten, killed, kidnapped and beheaded.

Each upload has been marked with the infamous Hamas logo in green.

After speaking to an Israeli and Jewish woman, who asked to remain anonymous, she told me that the state of Israel "refuses to release" any content of the victims as it "hurts the dead" and "restricts the soul of a dead Jewish person from moving on and reaching peace".

"All of that footage that you have seen... All of the footage that is on that website is from the Hamas GoPros," she added.

Concerning the footage being sent to the relatives of the victims, the young woman also told me: "It is all of the footage that has been sent to families on WhatsApp or whatever... Everything, everything, everything on there is authentic."