File Photo: A snap shot of Khalil al-Haya, the deputy chairman of the Hamas Political Bureau. Photo courtesy of Al-Jazeera.
"Two days ago, we received a proposal from the mediating brothers in Egypt and Qatar. We dealt with it positively and approved it. We hope that the occupation (Israel) will not obstruct it," Khalil al-Haya said in a televised address for the Muslim holiday of Eid al-Fitr.
"The weapons of the resistance are a red line," he added.
A day earlier, senior Hamas official Bassem Naim had said talks between the Palestinian Islamist movement and mediators over a ceasefire deal were gaining momentum as Israel continued intensive operations in Gaza.
Palestinian sources close to Hamas had told AFP that talks began Thursday evening between the militant group and mediators from Egypt and Qatar to revive a ceasefire and hostage release deal.
The fragile truce that had brought weeks of relative calm to the Gaza Strip ended on 18 March when Israel resumed its bombing campaign across the territory.
The talks in Doha started a day after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu threatened to seize parts of Gaza if Hamas did not release captives.
* This article was edited by Ahram Online
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