US evaluating Hamas' reaction to the proposed Gaza ceasefire.
According to the US, it is assessing Hamas' response to the most recent plan for a truce in Gaza and a deal to free the hostages. Although the Palestinian armed organisation stated that it was prepared to "deal positively" with the process, it emphasised that Israel must consent to an ongoing truce. Although an unnamed Israeli official claimed that Hamas's statement amounted to a rejection, the Israeli government has not responded. In the meantime, the US secretary of state is travelling to Qatar, which is serving as a mediator with the US and Egypt, in an effort to forward the proposal.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "reaffirmed his commitment" to the agreement, according to Antony Blinken, who also said that Hamas would bear responsibility if there was no advancement. When he presented the plan 12 days ago, US President Joe Biden said that Israel had offered it, although Mr. Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed it.
A succinct declaration verified that Hamas had provided an official reaction to the most recent ceasefire proposal, which has received widespread backing globally and was approved by the UN Security Council on Monday. This reaffirmed the call for the complete departure of Israeli forces from Palestinian territory and what Hamas described as "a complete halt of the ongoing aggression against Gaza." Izzat al-Rishq, a Hamas representative, described the reaction as "responsible, serious and positive" and claimed it created "a wide pathway" for a deal. The office of the Israeli prime minister refrained from providing an official response.
However, an unidentified Israeli source released a statement claiming that Hamas had "rejected the proposal for a hostage release that was presented by President Biden" and "changed all of the main and most meaningful parameters." The mediators, especially the US, are now expected to respond more critically after reviewing the proposal and determining how much the Hamas revisions go. Without providing further details, White House National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Tuesday, "We are evaluating this reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and Egypt."
In a joint statement, Egypt and Qatar said they will "co-ordinate with the parties concerned regarding the next steps" after reviewing Hamas's answer. Additionally, they promised to keep working with the US in mediation "until an agreement is reached."
In response to an extraordinary cross-border offensive on southern Israel on October 7 that resulted in around 1,200 deaths and 251 hostages, the Israeli military launched a war in Gaza to eliminate Hamas. Since then, more than 37,160 Palestinians have died in Gaza, according to the health ministry operated by Hamas in the region. As part of an agreement reached in November, 240 Palestinian inmates held in Israeli jails and the release of 105 hostages by Hamas were exchanged for a week-long ceasefire. According to Israel, 116 captives are still being detained, 41 of them are thought to be dead.
According to Mr. Biden, there were three stages to the new plan. In the first, Israel would free an unspecified number of Palestinian detainees in exchange for Hamas releasing some captives, notably women, the elderly, and the sick or injured, during a six-week ceasefire. In a subsequent stage, any hostages who are still alive would be freed, and Israeli forces would leave Gaza as part of an ongoing "cessation of hostilities," but the latter would still need to be negotiated. The third phase would see the repatriation of any dead hostages and the start of a comprehensive rehabilitation plan for Gaza.
Although Mr. Netanyahu has admitted that the proposal has been approved by his war cabinet, he has not stated categorically that he supports it. His far-right cabinet members, who view the agreement as a capitulation to Hamas, have threatened to leave his coalition and bring it to an end if it moves forward. The whole Israeli proposal—which is supposedly longer than the synopsis that Mr. Biden provided—has not been released, and it is uncertain if it differs from what Mr. Biden said. Hamas received it a few days prior to Mr. Biden speech.
