American pressure continues to reach a breakthrough regarding the prisoner exchange deal and a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, and while Qatar confirmed that it had received an Israeli proposal and conveyed it to the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), the movement stressed that there is no agreement with Israel without stopping the war and withdrawing from Gaza.
Axios quoted an American official and two informed sources as saying that CIA Director William Burns is expected to arrive today, Tuesday, in the Qatari capital, Doha, while Brett McGurk, US President Joe Biden’s chief advisor for Middle East affairs, will arrive in the Egyptian capital, Cairo. tomorrow is Wednesday.
According to these sources, Burns and McGurk’s trip comes as part of a comprehensive pressure campaign by the Biden administration to reach a breakthrough on the deal.
For his part, White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said that the current proposal is the best opportunity for the release of detainees and a ceasefire in Gaza, adding that Hamas has not yet submitted its response to the Israeli proposal.
Kirby stressed that Washington will continue to work with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to implement the Israeli proposal regarding the Gaza Strip, stressing that the United States respects the decisions of countries and allies, such as some of them declaring support for the establishment of a Palestinian state, adding that this does not mean that Washington agrees with them on everything.
US President Joe Biden said, in an interview with Time magazine, that there are reasons for people to conclude that Netanyahu is working to prolong the war in order to preserve his political survival.
Qatar receives an Israeli proposal
Earlier today, Tuesday, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majid Al-Ansari said that his country had received an Israeli proposal that reflects the principles of a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip, as mentioned by the US President, and conveyed to the Hamas movement.
Al-Ansari confirmed, in a press conference, that the proposal now includes positions of both sides closer than before, and that there are efforts to put the final touches to reach an agreement.
He stated that communications had not stopped with all parties concerned with the crisis in Gaza, but the Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman also confirmed that it was awaiting a “clear position” from Israel regarding the truce proposal in Gaza, which Biden announced last week.
He added, “We have read and watched the contradictory statements issued by Israeli ministers, which does not give us much confidence in the existence of a unified position in Israel regarding this current proposal on the table.”
Washington and Hamas
In this context, the US State Department said, “We greatly appreciate the role played by Qatar, including delivering appropriate messages to Hamas,” stressing that there are no disagreements with Qatar in this regard.
She stated that there are Israeli ministers who oppose the ceasefire and do not consider the return of detainees a priority.
The US State Department stressed, “We have always made clear that there cannot be any dealings as usual with Hamas for the countries of the region.”
She stated that over the past few days, the world has expressed its support for Biden’s proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, noting that Secretary Anthony Blinken reiterated in a call with his Saudi counterpart Faisal bin Farhan that “Hamas is the one standing in the way of the ceasefire.”
On the other hand, Hamas leader Osama Hamdan said that the movement informed the mediators that it would not conclude any agreement with Israel regarding the prisoners, unless there was a clear position from Tel Aviv to prepare for a permanent cessation of the war and withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Hamdan added that the Israeli response that the movement received did not respond to that, which makes it inconsistent with the position expressed by the American President in his recent speech.
On Friday evening, Biden announced the existence of a three-stage “Israeli proposal,” which includes a ceasefire, a prisoner exchange, and the reconstruction of Gaza. But there is a disagreement between the two allies, Washington and Tel Aviv, regarding the proposal.