Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken strongly criticized Hamas's response to a US-backed ceasefire proposal for Gaza on Wednesday. He stated that while some suggested changes were workable, others were unacceptable, suggesting the two sides remain far apart on crucial demands.
"Hamas has proposed numerous changes to the proposal that was on the table," Blinken said during a news conference in Doha, Qatar. "Some of the changes are workable, some are not." The top US diplomat claimed that "a deal was on the table that was virtually identical" to one Hamas put forward on May 6. However, he added that Hamas's recent response conveyed through Egyptian and Qatari mediators, made demands that went "beyond positions that it had previously taken and accepted."
"In the days ahead, we are going to push on an urgent basis," Blinken stated, "to try and close this deal." Blinken refrained from disclosing specific details about Hamas's counter-proposal. However, Hamas officials refuted his claim of making changes to their previous stance in May, reiterating their accusation that Israel was blocking a deal. Osama Hamdan, Hamas's representative in Lebanon, accused Blinken of viewing "things through an Israel lens."
According to the proposed ceasefire plan, fighting in Gaza would halt immediately, and after the release of some Israeli hostages and Palestinian prisoners, talks could begin for a much longer or even permanent ceasefire and an Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Basem Naim, a Hamas spokesman, reiterated on Wednesday that Hamas's position remains unchanged – the deal must include guarantees of a permanent ceasefire and a complete Israeli withdrawal from Gaza, among other demands. "This new offer includes no changes to our previous response to the offer submitted last May," he said.
An unnamed official familiar with the talks revealed that Hamas' response proposed firm timetables for not only a short-term truce but also a permanent one, and for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza. Hamas also seeks assurances from the US and other mediators that a permanent ceasefire will be respected by Israel.
Blinken stated that Israel had accepted the initial proposal, endorsed by the UN Security Council on Monday. He added that the US would unveil proposals "in the coming weeks" to address Gaza's governance, security, and reconstruction.
