An Israeli government source told Reuters on Tuesday night that Hamas rejected US President Joe Biden’s Gaza ceasefire proposal.
“This evening, through the mediator, Israel received a response from Hamas. In return, Hamas rejected President Biden’s proposal to release the hostages,” said an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
“They are [Hamas] All the main and most important parameters are changed [da proposta]”, the Israeli source added.
During the day on Tuesday, Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad said they were “on the verge of reaching a positive agreement” to end the war in Gaza. In a response to mediators quoted by Reuters, Hamas presented a new timetable for implementing the ceasefire, insisting that “any agreement must end the Zionist aggression against our people, the withdrawal of Israeli forces, the reconstruction of Gaza and a radical prisoner exchange agreement.”
The United States is also evaluating the Palestinian group’s formal response, White House spokesman John Kirby told a news conference, explaining that a response from Hamas would be useful and that the United States is involved in its analysis. Talks on plans for Gaza after the end of the war between Israel and Hamas will take place in the coming days, Foreign Secretary Anthony Blinken said after talks with Israeli leaders this morning in Tel Aviv. “It’s imperative that we have these programs.”
The UN has rejected President Joe Biden’s cease-fire proposal in an effort to end the eight-month war against Hamas that has ravaged Gaza. He met with Israeli officials on Tuesday, a day after the Security Council gave its approval. The US official also met with Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa.
Points of contention
Elderly, sick and female hostages would be freed in the first phase of a six-week ceasefire in exchange for the release of Palestinian prisoners, as outlined in the cease-fire plan presented by Joe Biden in late May. A second phase would make the ceasefire permanent, with the intervention of the US, Egypt and Qatar leading to the negotiated release of all hostages. The third phase is the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Ahead of Blinken’s trip, Israel and Hamas reiterated positions that had undermined previous talks to end the fighting, while Israel continued its attacks in central and southern Gaza, killing and injuring more than 600. Israel says it will only agree to temporary pauses in fighting until Hamas is defeated, while Hamas has countered that it will not accept a deal that does not guarantee an end to the war.
However, on Tuesday, the leader of Hamas outside Gaza, Sami Abu Zuhri, had already said the group had accepted the ceasefire resolution and was ready to negotiate the details. According to Reuters, it is up to Washington to ensure Israel complies with the resolution. The same agency said that Hamas had now accepted a formula that offered to withdraw Israeli troops from Gaza and exchange hostages in Gaza for Palestinian prisoners held in Israel. However, today’s events call into question the possibility of progress.
“The US administration faces a real test in fulfilling its commitments to immediately end the war on occupation by implementing the UN Security Council resolution,” Abu Zuhri told Reuters.
For its part, the newspaper cited an Israeli government source security guard, He also said that the UN-backed resolution met the war objectives. “Israel will not stop the war until it achieves all its objectives – eliminating Hamas’ military and civilian capabilities, returning all our hostages and ensuring that Gaza will never again pose a threat to Israel. The proposed proposal allows Israel to fulfill these conditions, and will do so”, said the same source.
Blinken responded to Hamas’ initial statement that the group expressed its readiness for a deal, describing it as a “sign of confidence” but still needed a firm word from the group’s leadership inside the Gaza Strip. “That’s what counts, and that’s what we don’t have yet,” he said, before the denial was issued by the Israeli government.
“I welcome the peace initiative recently outlined by President Biden and call on all parties to seize this opportunity to reach an agreement,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said this Tuesday.
Despite the positive outlook, Hassan Barari, an expert in international relations at Qatar University, spoke to the pan-Arab channel Al-Jazeera, urging caution already when it comes to the second phase of the deal. A problem between the two parties. “The first phase is good for everyone because Hamas wants a six-week ceasefire,” Barari said. Permanent fire,” said the expert.
“So far, all the reports from the Israelis say that they don’t want to do that. Especially with the resignation of key ministers from the government – it’s a far-right government in Israel, where key ministers are talking about continuing the war after the first phase”, Barari added.
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