Eyad Baba/AFP/Getty Images
A Palestinian woman looks at smoke rising after Israeli forces struck southern Gaza City, in the town of Al-Zawayda in the central Gaza Strip, June 11, 2024.
CNN
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Talks towards a ceasefire and hostage agreement that could end the war in Gaza were thrown into doubt on Tuesday evening when Israel saw its response to Hamas’ latest proposal as a rejection, setting off a game of blame between the two sides.
A source familiar with the negotiations told CNN on Tuesday that Hamas has submitted a written response to Qatari mediators, proposing modifications to the Israeli proposal that include a permanent ceasefire and a timeline for Israel’s complete withdrawal from Gaza.
The talks are expected to continue through Qatari and Egyptian intermediaries, in coordination with the United States, to see if an agreement can be reached, the sources added.
After submitting the response on Tuesday, Hamas spokesman and politburo member Osama Hamdan told Lebanon-based Al-Mayadeen television station that the group was committed to achieving a ceasefire. “Our response unequivocally reaffirms our commitment to a ceasefire and withdrawal from Gaza, a commitment we have kept consistently,” Hamdan added.
But in a sign of how Israel views the revised plan, an Israeli official said Hamas had rejected the original agreement.
“Israel has received a response from Hamas from the mediators, in which Hamas rejects the proposed agreement for the hostage release put forward by US President Biden,” the official told CNN. Other media outlets have similarly reported Israel’s initial response.
Hamas leadership quickly denied the allegations in an attempt to backtrack on the proposal.
“The response of Hamas and the Palestinian factions to the ceasefire proposal is responsible, serious and positive. This response is in line with the demands of our people and the resistance forces and paves the way for an agreement,” Hamas politburo member Izzat al-Rishq said late Tuesday.
“The Israeli media’s incitement to a Hamas reaction represents an attempt to circumvent the agreement’s obligations.”
The tensions come to the surface at a delicate time: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken is currently on a diplomatic visit to the region, trying to secure agreement on the plan first announced by President Biden 11 days ago.
The Israeli-drafted plan, which has not been made public in full, and approved by the U.N. Security Council on Monday, envisages a six-week ceasefire during which Hamas would release hostages and Israel would free Palestinian prisoners, culminating in a permanent cessation of hostilities through negotiations.
The White House has stressed that this is an Israeli plan, and has repeatedly said that Israel has accepted it despite opposition from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier in the day, Israel made its clearest statement yet that it was prepared to formally sign the plan, but in a brief statement signalled it wanted to maintain the freedom to continue fighting.
The brief Israeli communication, purportedly from an Israeli government official but widely understood to mean the Prime Minister’s Office, began with an assertion of Israel’s war aims and expressed support for the US-backed proposal currently under discussion.
“Israel will not end the war until it has achieved all of its war objectives: destroying Hamas’ military and governing power, releasing all hostages, and ensuring that Gaza does not pose a threat to Israel in the future,” the statement said.
“The proposals presented allow Israel to and will achieve these goals,” the statement concluded, without mentioning Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s oft-repeated promises of total victory and the elimination of Hamas.
Israeli leaders are caught between the voices of many in the country who believe a ceasefire is the best way to secure the release of 120 hostages being held by Hamas in the Gaza Strip, and those of their far-right coalition partners who insist the war continue.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have both warned that Netanyahu would topple his government if he accepts the current deal.
In contrast, senior opposition figures including former war minister Benny Gantz and opposition leader Yair Lapid have urged Netanyahu to accept the U.S.-backed plan.
Hamas, which is also under pressure to back the U.S.-backed proposal, said last week it was concerned Israel might not follow through on the plan’s second phase – a permanent halt to fighting.
“Without a clear position [from Israel] “Preparing for a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal from the Gaza Strip could open the door to completing the agreement, but we cannot reach it,” Hamas spokesman and Politburo member Osama Hamdan warned last week.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
