The United States and Qatar are trying to convince Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal negotiated last week.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken spoke on the phone this morning with his Qatari counterpart Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, during which they stressed that the Gaza ceasefire proposal presented last Friday “already fills the remaining gaps” in an agreement that can be quickly implemented,” official sources reported on Wednesday. They are thus trying to convince Hamas to accept the proposal that Israel has already accepted, according to Blinken. The talks are expected to resume this Wednesday in Cairo.
The two foreign ministers “discussed efforts to negotiate a ceasefire agreement that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and secure the release of the hostages,” the ministry's deputy spokesman, Vedant Patel, said in a statement released this evening.
The brief note emphasizes that the two “underscored that the transitional proposal presented by the negotiators fills the outstanding gaps in a way that allows for the rapid implementation of the agreement.” As Blinken said last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has reportedly already accepted this proposal, but the Palestinian movement rejects it, stressing that it only includes Israeli demands. That is why he stressed that Egypt and Qatar, which are part of the mediation team between Israel and Hamas with the United States, are working to explain to Hamas everything necessary for it to understand the text and accept it. He assured that he would do “everything possible” to get the Palestinian movement to say yes to this proposal. One of the critical points concerns the future Israeli military presence in the Gaza Strip. In an attempt to convince Hamas, Blinken assured that the United States “does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel,” stressing that the agreement is clear on the timetable for the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
The answer could come during the new round of talks that are due to begin this Wednesday in Cairo, with the aim of bridging all the differences until reaching a final version that will become the truce agreement.
The two leaders also said they would continue working together to “make it clear that neither side should take steps that undermine efforts to reach an agreement,” without making direct reference to either of the two contenders. (EFE)