RIYADH: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken urged Hamas on Monday to quickly agree to an Israeli proposal for the release of Israeli captives detained by the Palestinian group and a ceasefire in the Gaza conflict.
A Hamas source close to the negotiations told AFP on condition of anonymity that the Hamas delegation departed Egypt after their meeting in Cairo and traveled back to Qatar “to discuss the ideas and the proposal… and we are keen to respond as quickly as possible.”
According to a statement from Egypt’s president, US President Joe Biden called Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Monday to discuss the most recent developments in talks over a ceasefire in Gaza and the risks of a military escalation in Rafah.
The key area of contention in any comprehensive ceasefire agreement between Hamas and Israel, according to the spokesman, was the exchange of Israeli prisoners for Palestinian ones, which was also discussed in the call.
“A proposal that is extraordinarily, extraordinarily generous on the part of Israel is before Hamas,” Blinken declared during a World Economic Forum gathering in Riyadh. According to a source who was briefed on the negotiations, Israel’s proposal involved freeing Palestinian detainees detained in Israel in exchange for the release of less than 40 of the about 130 captives thought to be imprisoned in Gaza.
A “period of sustained calm” would be the second phase of the truce, which would be Israel’s accommodation of Hamas’s demand for an ongoing ceasefire.
As for the International Criminal Court (ICC), Israel is worried that it may be getting ready to issue arrest warrants for government leaders on allegations pertaining to how it conducted its war against Hamas.
Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Sunday cautioned Israeli embassies to strengthen their security due to the possibility of a “wave of severe antisemitism,” in reaction to allegations in the Israeli media that the ICC may soon issue arrest warrants for senior Israeli government and military figures.
Katz stated, “We anticipate that the court (ICC) will not issue arrest warrants against top-level Israeli security and political officials.” “We will not give up or be discouraged; we will fight on.”
