Negotiations between Hamas and Israel for a ceasefire agreement in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages have not led to any progress. The American plan, presented by Joe Biden, proposed according to him by Israel, has produced nothing for the moment.
A senior Palestinian Hamas official said Saturday in Beirut that negotiations for an agreement with Israel on a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of hostages have not led to any progress. A plan presented at the end of May by American President Joe Biden, proposed according to him by Israel, provides for a six-week ceasefire accompanied by an Israeli withdrawal from densely populated areas of Gaza, the release of certain hostages and prisoners Palestinians detained by Israel.
According to the American site Axios, the American administration presented a “new version” of a draft agreement between Israel and Hamas, including amendments to “certain clauses (…) with the aim of bridging the gap that separates them and reach an agreement. Osama Hamdane, a senior Hamas official based in Beirut, said his movement received the latest proposal for a ceasefire agreement on June 24, but that it brought “nothing new.”
The American plan remained a dead letter
“We can say that there is nothing new in the negotiations to stop the Israeli aggression,” he said at a press conference. The plan presented by Joe Biden has so far remained a dead letter, with the protagonists sticking to intangible demands. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to continue the war until the total defeat of Hamas and the release of all hostages. Hamas is demanding a permanent ceasefire and a total Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
“We have made it clear, and this is still our position, that without this, all the documents presented are a waste of time and give the occupation more time to commit genocide against our people, as well as an attempt by the American administration to redeem itself,” Osama Hamdan said. According to him, the new American proposal is part of “the various pressures exerted on the movement to accept the Israeli document as it is, without amendment.”
The war in the Gaza Strip was triggered by a Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, which killed 1,195 people, mostly civilians, according to an AFP tally based on official Israeli data. During the attack, 251 people were kidnapped, 116 of whom are still being held in Gaza, of whom 42 died, according to the army. In response, Israel launched an offensive on Gaza that has so far killed 37,834 people, mostly civilians, according to data from the Health Ministry of the Hamas-led Gaza government.
