A boy walks through rubble in Gaza Image source, Getty Images Hamas has indicated it is willing to reach an agreement to end the conflict in Gaza, but says a permanent ceasefire requires an Israeli commitment. In a statement, the group and its Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) allies said they were willing to “positively reach” an agreement. The proposed ceasefire plan, which was endorsed by the UN Security Council on Monday night, calls for a six-week ceasefire that would eventually become permanent. Qatar and Egypt – which, along with the United States, have mediated the negotiations between Israel and Hamas – confirmed that the Palestinian group had submitted its response. In its statement Tuesday night, Hamas called for a “complete cessation” of fighting in Gaza. “The response prioritizes the interests of our Palestinian people and emphasizes the need for a complete cessation of the ongoing aggression against Gaza,” Hamas and PIJ said. The groups added that they were willing to “engage positively to reach an agreement to end this war.” White House national security spokesman John Kirby said it was “helpful” that Hamas had submitted a response and that U.S. officials were “evaluating” the group’s requests. The proposal put forward by President Biden last month involves an initial six-week ceasefire, in which Hamas will release some hostages in exchange for Israel releasing an indefinite number of Palestinian prisoners. In a second phase, Hamas would release the remaining hostages and make a full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza as part of a “permanent” ceasefire, but the latter would still be subject to negotiations. The actual Israeli proposal – apparently longer than the summary presented by Biden – has not been made public and it is not clear if it differs from what the president conveyed in his May 31 statement. It was presented to Hamas days before Biden’s speech. Netanyahu has acknowledged that his war cabinet has authorized the plan, but has not expressed unequivocal support for it. Far-right members of his cabinet have threatened to abandon his coalition and cause its collapse if the deal goes ahead, viewing it as a surrender to Hamas.