"The changes Hamas wanted to make to Qatar's proposal were conveyed to us last night and were not accepted by Israel," Prime Minister Netanyahu's office said on 5/7.
Despite this, based on an assessment of the situation, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has directed acceptance of the invitation to negotiate and will still send a delegation to Qatar on 6/7 to continue efforts to secure the return of hostages, based on the Qatari proposal that Israel has agreed to.
Netanyahu, who is scheduled to meet with US President Donald Trump in Washington on 7/7, has repeatedly said that Hamas must be disarmed. The armed group in the Gaza Strip has rejected this and so far refused to discuss this view.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rehovot, central Israel on 20/6. Photo: AFP |
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Rehovot, central Israel on 20/6. Photo: AFP
President Trump announced on 1/7 that Israel had "agreed to the necessary conditions" for a 60-day ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.
Three days later, Hamas said it had completed internal consultations and exchanges with other Palestinian armed groups on the latest ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, conveying a "positive" response to the mediators. "We are fully ready and serious to immediately enter a new round of negotiations on the mechanism for implementing this framework," Hamas said.
The Islamic Jihad organization, Hamas's ally in Gaza, also declared its support for negotiations towards a ceasefire, but demanded guarantees that Israel would "not continue acts of aggression" after the hostages are released.
Hamas has not publicly detailed its response to the US-sponsored proposal, conveyed through mediators from Qatar and Egypt.
Two Palestinian sources familiar with the situation said the proposal stipulates that during the 60-day ceasefire, Hamas forces will release 10 surviving hostages in the Gaza Strip and return several bodies in exchange for Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. Hamas also demanded certain conditions for Israel to withdraw its troops, ensure no fighting during the negotiations, and restore the UN-led aid distribution system.
In two previous ceasefires mediated by Qatar, Egypt, and the US, Hamas returned hostages in exchange for Palestinians held by Israel. Of the 251 hostages captured by Hamas during the raid on southern Israel in 10/2023, 49 remain in Gaza, of whom 27 are believed to be dead.
The Israeli military's retaliatory campaign in the Gaza Strip has killed more than 57,000 people, mostly civilians, according to local health officials.
Huyen Le (AFP, Reuters)
