Hamas officials have expressed concern over whether Israel will implement the terms of the proposed ceasefire agreement, particularly the provisions for a permanent end to the fighting and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in exchange for the release of all hostages held by the militants.

The proposal announced by US President Joe Biden last month calls for a three-phase plan, starting with an initial six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return to their homes. The second phase would see a permanent end to hostilities, the release of all remaining hostages and a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. The third phase would launch a major multi-year reconstruction plan for Gaza.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas to accept the proposal and called the UN Security Council’s vote in favour of the plan evidence of international support. “Everyone voted for it, except for one vote, and that was Hamas’,” Blinken said in Tel Aviv.

Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given contradictory signals on the ceasefire agreement, saying that Israel will not stop until Hamas is wiped out, while the US has said that Israel has accepted the proposal.

According to a report in The Wall Street Journal, Hamas chief Yahya Sinwar said he believed they had gained an edge over Israel and that civilian deaths in Gaza would work in the terror group’s favour.

In dozens of messages sent over several months, Sinwar told Hamas leaders and mediators that he had no interest in a ceasefire with Israel because he believed increasing civilian deaths would be more beneficial to Hamas than stopping the fighting.

According to one message, Sinwar recently told other Hamas leaders, “We have the Israelis right where we want them.” In another message, Sinwar described the civilian deaths as a “necessary sacrifice.”