Hamas hit back after being criticized by U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for not accepting ceasefire offers, saying it had shown “aggressiveness” in the talks.
The group said it was “actively addressing… the latest proposals and all proposals for a ceasefire agreement”.
By contrast, it said, “While Blinken continues to talk about ‘Israeli’ approving the latest proposal, we did not hear any Israeli official express approval”.
Mr. Blinken has repeatedly said Israel has accepted President Biden’s May 31 ceasefire proposal. Although Israel’s plans formed the basis of Biden’s statement, the Israeli government has not officially stated this.
Speaking in Qatar on Wednesday, Blinken expressed disappointment with Hamas’s response to an Israeli ceasefire proposal put forward on Tuesday.
Details of the response have not been made public, but Blinken said Hamas had proposed changes, some of which were unworkable.
“At some point in the negotiations – and this has been going back and forth for a long time – you get to the point where if one party continues to change their demands, including making demands and insisting on changing things that have been accepted, you have to question them Whether to act in good faith.
But in a series of statements on Wednesday night, Hamas questioned whether Israel had actually accepted the plan or A UN Security Council resolution approved it.
“The world hears no welcome or recognition [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu “and his government support the resolution,” the statement said. “Instead, they continue to emphasize their rejection of any permanent ceasefire, in clear contradiction with Security Council resolutions and President Biden’s initiative.”
Hamas said that on the other hand, it “clearly expressed its positive position on the content of the speech” of US President Biden and the “content” of the resolution. It also said it had confirmed its “willingness to cooperate with mediators involved in ceasefire negotiations”.
After meeting Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, Blinken said the prime minister “reaffirmed his commitment to the ceasefire proposal.”
Mr Netanyahu has yet to publicly endorse the plan, although his war cabinet approved the proposal and submitted it to Hamas on May 27. The proposal, which is reportedly longer than the summary proposed by Biden, has not yet been made public and it is unclear whether it differs from what the president conveyed in a televised statement late last month.
One of the main sticking points between the two sides appears to be the vision of ending the war. According to reports, Hamas insisted on obtaining written assurances from Israel that it would end the war before signing the plan. Netanyahu said the war would not end until Hamas’s “governance and military capabilities” were destroyed and the hostages returned.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200 people and taking another 251 people back to Gaza as hostages. Hamas’ health ministry said more than 37,000 people have been killed in Israeli offensives since then.
