Hamas pushes for UN-backed truce deal

Israeli strikes continue as US beefs up military presence in the Middle East

Palestinian militant group Hamas is pushing for implementing a Gaza cease-fire plan previously backed by the United Nations Security Council rather than holding further rounds of talks for a fresh pact, ahead of a meeting on Thursday proposed by negotiators.

In a statement on Telegram, Hamas said it wanted a deal based on United States President Joe Biden's May 31 cease-fire proposal, the framework for which was laid out by mediators Qatar and Egypt on May 6, and adopted by the UN Security Council Resolution 2735, Al Jazeera reported on Sunday.

The mediators should enforce the deal on Israel instead of pursuing further rounds of negotiations or new proposals as the process prolongs the killing of Palestinian civilians, Hamas said in the statement, as Israel continues its deadly airstrikes on Gaza.