A senior official in the administration of US President Joe Biden confirmed today, Friday, that the Doha negotiations for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and reaching an agreement to free the hostages are among the most constructive talks the parties have held in months.
To save the children of Gaza from a dangerous virus.. The United Nations calls for an urgent truce
Arabs and the world
To save the children of Gaza from a dangerous virus.. The United Nations calls for an urgent truce
He added that the negotiators believe that the agreement is ready to move forward, although some work still needs to be done.
The official, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity, said, "All participants agreed over the past forty-eight hours that there is a new spirit here to conclude the matter."
He continued that Washington presented, on Friday, a proposal that largely bridges all the gaps between the two parties in the talks.
US President Joe Biden confirmed on Friday that reaching a deal was “closer than ever before.”
“We have not yet reached an agreement,” Biden said on the sidelines of a celebration in the Oval Office, but he acknowledged that reaching a settlement is now closer “than it was three days ago.”
The White House also reported in a statement that the US President discussed separately with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi, the progress made in the Gaza negotiations.
For its part, Israel expressed its hope that the mediators' pressure would lead Hamas to accept the proposed ceasefire agreement.
In the same context, the US State Department said in a statement, today, Friday, that Secretary Anthony Blinken will travel to Israel tomorrow, Saturday, to continue diplomatic efforts to conclude a ceasefire agreement and release the hostages in Gaza
American proposal
This came after the United States, Egypt and Qatar issued a joint statement on Friday regarding ceasefire negotiations in the Gaza Strip and the release of the hostages.
The statement said that the talks were constructive, serious and took place in a positive atmosphere, in which the United States, with the support of Qatar and Egypt, presented a proposal that would reduce the gaps between the two parties (Israel and Hamas).
This proposal also builds on the points of agreement achieved over the past week, and fills the remaining gaps in a way that allows for the rapid implementation of the agreement, according to the joint statement of the mediators.
The statement announced that "senior officials from America, Egypt and Qatar will meet again in Cairo before the end of next week, hoping to reach an agreement in accordance with the conditions presented today."
Hamas commented
In turn, the Hamas movement commented on the proposed agreement, and an official in the movement said, “We reject the new conditions set by Israel in the proposed agreement in Doha,” according to what two of its officials told AFP on Friday.
A leadership source said that the Israeli delegation "set new conditions in the context of its approach to obstruction, such as its insistence on keeping military forces in the area of the border strip with Egypt - the Philadelphia axis."
Hamas also said, “Israel requested that it have the right to place a veto on the names of prisoners and deport other prisoners outside Palestine,” stressing that the Palestinian movement “will not accept anything less than a complete ceasefire, complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a natural return of the displaced, and an exchange deal without restrictions and conditions.” "Israel."
"False positive atmosphere"
A Hamas leader also told Reuters that the American administration is trying to spread a false positive atmosphere and does not have any seriousness to stop the war, but rather aims to buy time.
It is noteworthy that on May 31, US President Joe Biden revealed an Israeli proposal for a truce in Gaza, which stipulates three stages that include a ceasefire, the withdrawal of Israeli forces from populated areas in Gaza, the entry of aid and the release of Palestinian detainees from Israeli prisons.
But the talks since then have failed to achieve results due to points of contention between the two parties.