Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al-Ansari said that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) reported that it was still studying the American proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while the Israeli Broadcasting Authority reported that Israel expected to receive a response from Hamas by tomorrow, Saturday.
The head of the Hamas political bureau, Ismail Haniyeh, said that the movement and the resistance factions will deal seriously and positively with any agreement on the basis of a comprehensive cessation of aggression, complete withdrawal, and prisoner exchange.
Haniyeh added that the movement is conducting the negotiations armed with this position, which represents the will of the Palestinian people and their valiant resistance.
For his part, Muhammad al-Hindi, Deputy Secretary-General of the Islamic Jihad Movement, said that the resistance wants the proposed exchange agreement to stipulate a final ceasefire in Gaza, and not leave the matter to the interpretation of US President Joe Biden or the mediators.
Al-Hindi confirmed, in an interview with Al-Jazeera, that what he called attempts to circumvent the issue through a Security Council resolution would be of no use, referring to the draft resolution that the United States submitted to the Security Council to vote on a 3-stage ceasefire plan.
The Israeli position
For its part, the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation reported that Israel sent a message to the mediators, stating that it expects to receive a response from Hamas regarding Biden’s ceasefire proposal by tomorrow, Saturday.
The same broadcasting organization said that Tel Aviv’s ambassador to the United Nations, Gilad Erdan, informed his American counterpart, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, of Israel’s opposition to the proposed draft resolution that America submitted to the Security Council.
This talk coincides with the escalation of disputes within Israel, as the Israeli Broadcasting Corporation said that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may announce the dissolution of the war council if Minister in the war council, Benny Gantz, carries out his threat to resign.
The authority added that the State Camp party led by Gantz is meeting to discuss the decision, suggesting that Gantz will announce his exit from the emergency government.
The American-Western position
For his part, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said that Washington is continuing talks with Egypt and Qatar, which are in turn holding talks with the political wing of Hamas with the aim of reaching a ceasefire in Gaza.
Miller added that Washington has not yet received any official response to the proposal on the table, and that it would like to see a response as soon as possible, considering that this is an urgent priority to reach a ceasefire.
The US President described the current time in the Israeli war on Gaza as very difficult, and said that a ceasefire must be reached.
Biden added in an interview with ABC News that Netanyahu announced his support for the proposal, which he himself announced from the White House last week.
A statement issued by the leaders of Germany, Britain, France, and America also affirmed their full support for the plan presented by Biden regarding reaching an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. The statement called on the Hamas movement and all parties to fully accept the plan and implement it without delay, with the ultimate goal of putting an end to this war.