Two senior Hamas officials said Tuesday that the Palestinian Islamist movement had given its official response to Egyptian and Qatari mediators regarding the ceasefire plan announced on May 31 by Joe Biden, proposed according to him by Israel. However, they did not indicate whether or not the movement accepted this plan, but called for a “total stop of aggression” in Gaza.
“Hamas has officially transmitted its response to the Egyptian and Qatari mediators regarding the Israeli ceasefire proposal announced by the American president,” a senior Hamas official told AFP, on condition of anonymity. Another senior member of the movement confirmed that their response had been given.
“The response prioritizes the interests of the Palestinian people and emphasizes the need for a complete halt to the ongoing aggression in Gaza,” Hamas and Islamic Jihad said in a joint statement, adding that they were ready to “engage in a positive way to reach an agreement that puts an end to this war.”
“Amendments” added by Hamas
According to a source familiar with the discussions at AFP, this response contains “amendments to the Israeli proposal”, notably “a timetable for a permanent ceasefire and the total withdrawal of Israeli troops from the Gaza Strip “, indicated this source on condition of anonymity, adding that discussions would continue through the Qatari and Egyptian mediators, in coordination with the United States.
On Monday, the UN Security Council adopted, by 14 votes in favor, with Russia abstaining, a draft American resolution supporting this ceasefire plan in Gaza in three phases. The resolution, which asserts that Israel has “accepted” the plan, urges Hamas “to also accept it and calls on both parties to fully implement its terms without delay and without conditions.” Hamas was content to indicate that it welcomed “favorably” a certain number of elements of the resolution.
At the same time, the American Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, on a diplomatic tour in the region, assured Tuesday that the Israeli Prime Minister had “reaffirmed his commitment” to a ceasefire in Gaza.
“Everyone said yes except Hamas,” reaffirmed the head of American diplomacy, suggesting that if the Palestinian movement did not accept this proposal, a failure would “clearly” be its responsibility. However, until now, Israel had also not formally accepted the road map for a ceasefire presented by the American president. Last Monday, Benjamin Netanyahu even judged this plan “incomplete”, according to an Israeli government spokesperson.
Three phases
This truce project in three phases, lasting around forty days each, was presented at the end of May by American President Joe Biden, citing an Israeli proposal.
The first phase involves a six-week total ceasefire, accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of the Gaza Strip. “Some” Israeli hostages – women and elderly, injured or sick people – would be released, and some bodies returned to their families. Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners would be released in exchange.
The second phase provides for the end of the war, the return of all Israeli hostages and the withdrawal of the IDF from Gaza territory. Finally, the third phase is aimed at the reconstruction of Gaza, with the support of the United States.