Cairo/Tel Aviv: In what the US Secretary of State called a positive development, a senior Hamas official stated on Tuesday that the organization recognizes a UN resolution endorsing a plan to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza and is prepared to negotiate details.
However, a source close to the negotiations stated that neither Israel nor Hamas had officially responded to the UN-backed truce proposal sent to the mediators by Qatar and Egypt. Both parties indicated on Tuesday that the plan aligned with their competing objectives, casting doubt on whether any real progress had been achieved toward an agreement.
Following consultations with Israeli leaders, Secretary of State Antony Blinken stated in Tel Aviv that discussions pertaining to post-war plans for Gaza will persist over the coming days.
A day after President Joe Biden’s cease-fire proposal was accepted by the UN Security Council, Blinken met with Israeli officials on Tuesday in an effort to put an end to the eight-month-long Israeli air and ground assault that has wreaked havoc on Gaza.
Talks over “post-war plans” will go on for a few more days, according to Blinken.
Prior to Blinken’s visit, Israel continued its attacks in central and southern Gaza while Hamas maintained the hardline stances that had derailed earlier rounds of truce negotiations.
In exchange for Palestinians imprisoned in Israel, Biden’s proposal calls for a truce and the gradual release of prisoners, which would ultimately bring an end to the situation.
Senior Hamas leader Sami Abu Zuhri, who is stationed outside of Gaza, stated on Tuesday that his organization recognized the resolution calling for a truce and was prepared to discuss the details.
According to him, this called for a plan that called for the complete evacuation of Israeli forces from Gaza and the exchange of Palestinian inmates for Israeli detainees.
“A true test of the US administration’s ability to fulfill its obligations to force the occupation to immediately end the war in accordance with the UN Security Council resolution,” stated Abu Zuhri.
The Hamas statement, according to Blinken, was “a hopeful sign,” but further clarity from the organization’s leadership within the Israeli-besieged Gaza Strip was still required. “That’s what matters, and it’s what we currently lack.”
Following Blinken’s departure for Jordan, a high-ranking Israeli government official, who wished to remain anonymous, declared that the released plan will help Israel accomplish its objectives.
The spokesperson restated Israel’s long-standing position that Gaza must be made completely safe for Israel to live in, that Hamas’ military and political power in the region must be destroyed, and that all prisoners must be released. Although the US is Israel’s closest ally and largest military supplier, it has grown more critical of the Israeli offensive’s destruction and humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza, as well as the high number of civilian deaths in Gaza. This criticism is shared by much of the international community.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip responded cautiously to the Security Council resolution on Tuesday, believing it might be just another failed attempt at a truce.
Shaban Abdel-Raouf, 47, a displaced family of five taking refuge in the central city of Deir Al-Balah—a regular target of Israeli artillery—said, “We will believe it only when we see it.” “We will know it is true when they tell us to pack our belongings and get ready to return to Gaza City,” he stated over a messaging app.
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According to Blinken, his discussions also included Gaza’s day-to-day operations, such as security, administration, and enclave rehabilitation. “We have been consulting with numerous partners across the region while we have been doing that. Those discussions will go on.We must implement these measures,” he stated.
During his seventh troubleshooting trip to the Middle East since the start of the Gaza crisis, Blinken also looked for ways to stop the border battles between Israel and Hezbollah, which had been going on for months, from turning into a full-scale war.
President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi of Egypt, a crucial war mediator, and Blinken met on Monday in Cairo.
