In the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas, Hamas has agreed to the ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States, but continues to reject what Israel calls “new conditions,” according to a statement received by Hamas. Newsweek.
The statement, attributed to senior Hamas official and spokesman Basem Naim, describes the Islamic Palestinian movement’s initially positive response to a three-phase plan first outlined by President Joe Biden on May 31. But Naim argued that Israel was instead seeking to double down on its 10-month war effort in Gaza and make new demands, leading to another potential impasse in the talks, which US officials said had already reached a breakthrough on Monday.
The conflict began with a surprise attack by Hamas on October 7, 2023, in which Israeli authorities estimate that about 1,200 people were killed and about 240 others taken hostage, about half of whom are believed to still be in captivity. The Gaza Health Ministry estimates that about 40,000 people were killed in the densely populated area during the ensuing war.
After what he described as a “very constructive meeting” with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said the prime minister had “confirmed” to him “that Israel supports the bridge proposal” put forward by the US, Qatar and Egypt to push through the stalled negotiations. Blinken said “the next important step is for Hamas to say ‘yes.'”
However, conflicting reports have emerged about the proposal, which Naim said was promoted by the White House as “essentially an Israeli proposal.” The plan, first outlined by Biden, included a six-week ceasefire, the withdrawal of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) from populated areas of Gaza, the return of displaced Palestinians to their homes, an increase in humanitarian aid to Gaza and the exchange of a number of Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners.
The second phase included further prisoner exchanges, a permanent ceasefire and the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. Finally, the bodies of the deceased were to be exchanged and a reconstruction plan for Gaza was to be initiated.
Naim said in his statement that Hamas “welcomed” Biden’s May 31 announcement and a subsequent United Nations (UN) Security Council resolution of June 11 approving it, adding that the group “confirmed its readiness for immediate implementation and conveyed its agreement to the mediators’ proposal on July 2.”
However, he accused Netanyahu of deliberately disrupting the process by making new attacks and demanding additional measures.
Kevin Mohatt/PoolAP
“What was Netanyahu’s response to all these initiatives and proposals? More massacres and killings (such as the Mawasi massacre, the assassination of Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran and the massacre at the Al-Tabin school in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza),” Naim said in the statement, “along with new conditions for negotiations.”
The new conditions, according to Naim, include Israel’s refusal to withdraw from the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphia Corridor between Gaza and Egypt, as well as from the Netzarim route between North and South Gaza, built by the Israeli army. They also require further inspections of displaced persons crossing the Netzarim route, changes to prisoner exchanges, new conditions for the passage of humanitarian aid, and unwillingness to negotiate the first and second phases of the proposal.
Naim also claimed that Israel had “demanded a written commitment from the Americans allowing a resumption of hostilities if that is decided.”
Netanyahu and his government deny adding new conditions beyond the original parameters of the US proposal, but have previously reiterated that the war will continue until all hostages are released and Hamas is definitively defeated.
In a statement issued with Newsweek On Friday, as a new round of ceasefire talks took place in the Qatari capital Doha, Netanyahu’s office said: “Israel appreciates the efforts of the United States and mediators to dissuade Hamas from its refusal to agree to a deal to release the hostages.”
The statement added: “Israel’s core principles are well known to the mediators and the United States, and Israel hopes that their pressure will persuade Hamas to accept the May 27 principles so that the details of the agreement can be implemented.”
An earlier statement issued last week, days before the latest negotiations, said a July 27 letter from Netanyahu “does not impose any additional conditions and certainly does not contradict or undermine the May 27 proposal.” Netanyahu’s office claimed that “in reality, Hamas demanded 29 changes to the May 27 proposal, which the prime minister rejected.”
According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, the letter called for an “agreed mechanism” regarding the Netzarim crossing and stipulated that “all living hostages in the relevant category should be released.” This was in response to a section of the May 27 proposal that stated that “a certain number of hostages will be released ‘alive or dead.'” It also specified that Israel “may have a veto over a certain number of prisoners released and may determine that at least a certain number of prisoners abroad be released.”
According to Netanyahu’s office, “the letter contains essential clarifications that should help implement the May 27 proposal.”
After the latest negotiations took place late last week, the Biden administration responded positively on Friday, indicating that an agreement could be concluded in the coming week. However, Hamas officials expressed skepticism about Newsweekand suggested that Israel continues to insist on the “new terms” and that the US was misrepresenting the nature of the talks in order to meet conditions at home ahead of November elections and to ease regional tensions as Iran threatens to retaliate against Israel over the killing of Ismail Haniyeh, the head of Hamas’ political bureau, in Tehran. No acknowledgement has been made of the killing.
In a video released on Monday, Netanyahu spoke of a “good and important meeting” with Blinken and expressed his appreciation for “US efforts in regional defense against the Iranian axis.”
“I also greatly appreciate the understanding that the United States has shown for our vital security interests in our joint efforts to release our hostages,” Netanyahu said. “I would like to emphasize: the efforts to release a maximum number of live hostages – already in the first phase of the agreement.”
Naim, in turn, called on the US and other countries to immediately push forward the agreement in its original form.
“The US government and the international community must put an end to this recklessness,” Naim said. “And they must put pressure on Netanyahu and his fascist government to stop the aggression and sign the ceasefire agreement.”
