Doha, 17 August 2024 (TDI): Hamas has said that it rejected new conditions in a Gaza ceasefire proposal that US-led mediators presented during two days of negotiations in Qatar.
Diplomatic efforts have so far failed to alleviate the suffering endured over more than ten months of the conflict, but US President Joe Biden insisted after the latest round of negotiations that “we are closer than we have ever been.”
He is sending US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to Israel this weekend to push the latest proposal, the State Department said.
Egyptian, US and Qatari mediators have been seeking to finalize details of a framework initially outlined by Joe Biden in May, which he said Israel had proposed.
In a joint statement, the mediators said they had presented both sides with a proposal that closing remaining gaps and will continue working in the coming days to hash out the specifics on the hostage-prisoners swap and humanitarian provisions.
Talks aiming to secure a rapid agrement are set to resume in Cairo “before the end of next week.”
Hamas, which did not attend the Doha dialogues, swiftly announced its opposition to what it called “new conditions” from Israel in the latest plan.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu urged mediators to “pressure” Hamas to accept Joe Biden’s framework.
Threats by Iran and its proxies to attack Israel have added renewed urgency to the efforts to hammer out a Gaza ceasefire deal, with mediators seeking an agreement in the hopes of dousing a wider regional conflict.
No one in the Middle East should take actions to undermine this process, Biden warned, later telling journalists, “There’s just a couple more issues, I think we’ve got a shot.”
Hamas had objected to conditions about keeping Israeli forces on Gaza’s border with Egypt and terms related to the release of Palestinian prisoners in exchange for Israeli hostages.
Also Read More: New Round of Gaza Ceasefire Negotiations Begins in Qatar
Western ally Jordan, however, put the blame squarely on Israel’s Netanyahu for blocking an agreement, with Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi urging pressure “by everyone who wishes to see this through to completion.”
British Foreign Secretary David Lammy and his French counterpart Stephane Sejourne held discussions in Israel on Friday to press the agreement.
