Hamas has responded to criticism from U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken for not yet accepting a ceasefire proposal, asserting it has shown “positivity” towards the negotiations.
The group stated it had “dealt positively… with the latest proposal and all proposals to reach a ceasefire agreement.”
In contrast, Hamas claimed, “while Blinken continues to talk about ‘Israel’s’ approval of the latest proposal, we have not heard any Israeli official voicing approval.”
Mr. Blinken has consistently stated that Israel has accepted a ceasefire proposal outlined by President Biden on 31 May. Although Israel’s government has not officially confirmed this, an Israeli plan was the basis for Mr. Biden’s declaration.
Speaking in Qatar on Wednesday, Mr. Blinken expressed frustration with Hamas’s response to the Israeli ceasefire proposal delivered on Tuesday.
The response details have not been disclosed, though Mr. Blinken mentioned that Hamas had proposed changes, some of which he deemed unworkable.
“In a negotiation – and this has gone back and forth for a long time – if one side continues to change its demands, including making demands and insisting on changes for things that it already accepted, you have to question whether they’re proceeding in good faith or not,” he said.
However, Hamas questioned whether Israel had actually accepted either the plan or a UN Security Council resolution endorsing it.
“The world did not hear any welcome or approval from [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu” and his government to the resolution, it said. “Rather they continued to emphasize the rejection of any permanent ceasefire, in clear contradiction with the Security Council resolution and President Biden’s initiative.”
Hamas stated it had “clearly expressed its positive position on what was included in US President Joe Biden’s speech” and on “what was included” in the resolution. It also confirmed its “readiness to co-operate” with the mediators involved in the ceasefire negotiations.
After a meeting with Mr. Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Monday, Mr. Blinken said the prime minister had “reaffirmed his commitment” to the ceasefire proposal.
Mr. Netanyahu has not publicly endorsed the plan, although the war cabinet he leads authorized the proposal delivered to Hamas on 27 May. That proposal – reportedly lengthier than the summary presented by Mr. Biden – has not been made public, leaving it unclear whether it differs from what the president conveyed in his televised statement at the end of last month.
A key sticking point appears to be each side’s vision for ending the war. Reports indicate Hamas insists on written guarantees that Israel will end the war before agreeing to the plan. Mr. Netanyahu has stated the war will not end until Hamas’s “governing and military capabilities” are destroyed and the hostages returned.
The war began after Hamas attacked Israel on 7 October, killing about 1,200 people and taking 251 others back to Gaza as hostages. The Hamas-run health ministry reports more than 37,000 people have been killed in Israel’s offensive since then.