Hamas 'Open to Discussions' on New Hostage Deal; NZ Among 7 More Nations Cutting UNRWA Funding

Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh confirmed on Tuesday, Jan. 30 that his group has received a proposal for a hostage deal with Israel, saying that it would study the details and be "open" to serious discussions as hundreds more hostages remain in Gaza for over 100 days.

Sky News reported that the group would submit its response to the proposal made by US, Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials "on the basis that the priority is to stop the aggression," pertaining to Israel's offensive on the strip.

Hamas 'Open to Discussions' About New Hostage Deal; NZ Among 7 More Nations Cutting UNRWA Funding — *(Photo: Amir Levy/Getty Images)*

However, Haniyeh added, any deal would require a complete and permanent ceasefire, a prospect Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his war cabinet are not considering.

"The movement is open to discussing any serious and practical initiatives or ideas, provided that they lead to a comprehensive cessation of aggression... lifting the siege, and achieving a serious prisoner exchange," his statement said.

Senior Hamas officials have also been invited to Egypt for talks on the deal.

NZ, 6 Other Countries Cut UNRWA Funding

Meanwhile, New Zealand, France, Austria, The Netherlands, Iceland, Romania, and Estonia have joined several other countries, including the US and UK, in suspending their funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) amid allegations that several employees were involved in the Oct. 7 Hamas attack in southern Israel.

According to The Independent, the European Commission also said that no additional funding would be provided to UNRWA until the end of February, indirectly suggesting it would join individual nations in its boycott against the UN agency. The commission also said that upcoming funding decisions would be determined in light of the "very serious allegations" of UNRWA employees participating in the Hamas attack.

However, the Spanish government announced that it would not be making "any modification" in its relations with UNRWA, with Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares calling UNRWA an "indispensable" agency in mitigating the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Albares also stressed that there were no more than 12 of its 30,000 employees involved in the Hamas attack.

The stance was similar to that of UNRWA chief Philippe Lazzarini, who warned that the UNRWA's operations in Gaza would collapse with the continued defunding of several nations.