Hamas leaders on Sunday rejected a proposed ceasefire agreement hammered out in talks last week that had drawn optimism from mediators from the United States, Egypt and Qatar that a deal was near.
“After being briefed by the mediators on what happened during the previous talks in Doha, we have once again concluded that (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu is still putting up obstacles to reaching an agreement,” Hamas said in a statement. It accused Netanyahu of “raising new conditions and demands with the aim of undermining the mediators’ efforts and prolonging the war.”
The Biden administration is trying to bridge the gap between Israel and Hamas over border controls, the number and identities of Israeli hostages and security prisoners to be released and the future governance of the disputed exclave, with President Joe Biden saying Friday the two sides were “closer than ever” to reaching an agreement.
Netanyahu has consistently demanded that the remnants of the stricken Hamas militia play no role in Gaza’s future – a position Hamas has often rejected – and any deviation from that position could jeopardize his fragile alliance with Israel’s far right and threaten his presidency.
Hamas said in a statement that the new proposal reflected Netanyahu’s rejection of a permanent ceasefire and full withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, and that he had also set new conditions for a prisoner exchange plan.
Netanyahu warned early Sunday that Israel was standing firm on some of its demands. “We are negotiating, not continuing to give in,” he said in a social media post.
Development status:
▪ Prime Minister Netanyahu criticized Hamas for refusing to negotiate, noting that it had not sent a representative to Doha. He said international pressure for a deal should be directed at Hamas, not the Israeli government.
The prime minister warned Iran and Lebanon-based Hezbollah, pledging to respond to recent assassinations in Tehran and Beirut, that Israel was prepared for any threat and would “extract a very heavy price from any enemy that seeks to attack us.”
▪ Palestinian health officials said at least 21 people were killed in Israeli attacks in the Gaza Strip overnight, including a mother and her six children whose home in the central city of Deir al-Balah was attacked. The youngest child was 18 months old, his grandfather Mohammed Khattab told Reuters.
Blinken proposes ceasefire agreement
Secretary of State Antony Blinken returned to Israel on Sunday with a “bridging proposal” aimed at establishing a ceasefire in Gaza, securing the release of all hostages, ensuring the distribution of humanitarian aid across the region and creating the conditions for broader regional stability.
The Times of Israel, citing officials familiar with the negotiations, reported that the proposal does not provide for two key demands made by Netanyahu: a continued Israeli military presence along the Gaza-Egypt border or a path to completely block the return of Hamas militants to Gaza. Israel’s Channel 12 reported that Hamas had told negotiators it would not agree to any deal that included those demands.
Blinken also stressed that it is crucial that all regional parties avoid any actions that could escalate or undermine the conclusion of the agreement, his office said in a statement. Blinken is due to meet with Netanyahu and other Israeli leaders on Monday before traveling to Cairo on Tuesday for further negotiations.
Article contributed by Reuters
