3/6/2024–|Last updated: 6/3/202409:48 PM (Mecca time)
White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby said on Monday that the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) said it received President Joe Biden’s speech “positively” and should agree to a ceasefire agreement with Israel, while 5 Arab countries supported the efforts. Mediation to end the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip.
Kirby added that the current Israeli proposal is the result of intense diplomatic efforts between the United States and Israel, and that the ball is now in Hamas’ court, refusing to reveal the nature of the minor gaps between the two parties.
In response to a question about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s statements, Kirby said that he was not aware of any gaps between the United States and Israel, reiterating Washington’s support for what he called “Israel’s right and responsibility to pursue Hamas leaders.”
Kirby confirmed that the second phase will include the release of the rest of the prisoners and detainees, after which the temporary ceasefire will turn into a permanent cessation of hostilities, noting that the next day in Gaza is not part of the proposal presented to Hamas, but work is underway on that.
Complete confidence
In turn, the US State Department said that the ceasefire agreement was presented to Hamas last Thursday, “and we have not yet received a response,” indicating that it is “completely” confident that Israel will agree to it, and that the proposal was Israeli, and was developed in consultation with the United States, Qatar, and Egypt.
US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken stressed the “positives” of the ceasefire proposal for Israel, with Washington expressing its hope that Hamas would agree to the proposal and begin implementing its first phase.
The US State Department said, early Monday, that Blinken held two separate calls with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant and Minister in the War Council Benny Gantz regarding the ceasefire agreement proposal, which President Biden revealed last Friday.
Meanwhile, last night, the Israeli War Council held a meeting to discuss the possible exchange deal, amid conflicting news about Tel Aviv’s position on the proposal on the table to conclude an agreement after the US President announced its details.
The Hamas movement announced that it was dealing positively with the ideas presented by Biden and considered them a general framework, and stressed the necessity of achieving this by reaching a complete agreement that includes a ceasefire, Israeli withdrawal, and relief and reconstruction of the Gaza Strip.
Hamas leader Osama Hamdan told Tel Aviv Tribune that the effort made by the mediators in Qatar and Egypt aims to bring about a ceasefire, and that the general framework of what was stated in the Biden plan is generally good, but they need to know the details of the plan, stressing that the side that has been stubborn over the past four months is the side. Israeli.
#statement | The Foreign Ministers of the Kingdom, Jordan, the UAE, Qatar and Egypt support the mediation efforts undertaken by the Arab Republic of Egypt, the State of Qatar and the United States of America to reach an exchange deal that leads to a permanent ceasefire, the release of hostages and detainees, and the entry of sufficient aid into the Gaza Strip. pic.twitter.com/tPt1Si7bDB
– Ministry of Foreign Affairs 🇸🇦 (@KSAMOFA) June 3, 2024
Five-pointed statement
On the other hand, the Saudi Foreign Ministry announced that it, along with the foreign ministers of Jordan, the Emirates, Qatar, and Egypt, supports mediation efforts regarding the crisis in Gaza, and stresses the necessity of stopping the aggression against the Gaza Strip, the return of the displaced, and the complete withdrawal of the occupation forces.
The Saudi Foreign Ministry added that the foreign ministers of the five countries stressed, in a joint statement, the importance of dealing seriously and positively with US President Joe Biden’s proposal, with the aim of agreeing on a deal that guarantees a permanent ceasefire.
