US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is in Qatar, working to secure a Gaza ceasefire and hostage release deal. The agreement’s fate is uncertain following a response from Hamas to the latest proposals.
Blinken analyzed the text Hamas provided to mediators Qatar and Egypt late into the night. Hamas stated it was prepared to “deal positively” with the process but emphasized the need for a permanent ceasefire from Israel.
Israel’s government has not commented officially, but an unnamed Israeli official claimed that Hamas’s response was a rejection. Blinken is meeting Qatari leaders in Doha to advance the plan, amidst a sense of regional crisis.
On Tuesday, Blinken stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had reaffirmed his commitment to the ceasefire proposal, with only Hamas impeding progress. However, Netanyahu has yet to publicly endorse the plan, which US President Joe Biden said Israel had offered 12 days ago.
Hamas’s brief Tuesday evening statement confirmed its official response to the ceasefire plan, which has gained international support and was endorsed by the UN Security Council on Monday. Hamas reiterated its demand for a complete halt to aggression against Gaza and a full Israeli forces withdrawal from the Palestinian territory.
Hamas official Izzat al-Rishq described the response as “responsible, serious, and positive,” opening a “wide pathway” to an agreement. The Israeli prime minister’s office did not provide an on-record reply, but an unnamed Israeli official claimed that Hamas had altered the main parameters and rejected the hostage release proposal Biden had presented.
Mediators will now examine the proposal and Hamas’s amendments’ extent. Qatar and Egypt pledged to continue their mediation efforts with the US until an agreement is reached.
The Israeli military launched a Gaza campaign to destroy Hamas following an unprecedented attack on southern Israel on 7 October, resulting in approximately 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages. Over 37,160 people have been killed in Gaza since then, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Biden’s new proposal involves three phases, starting with a six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages and Palestinian prisoners. The second phase would see the release of all remaining living hostages and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. The third phase would involve returning the remains of dead hostages and a significant Gaza reconstruction plan.
