Hamas: Israel attempting to evade proposed Gaza ceasefire deal

Israel is trying to evade the proposed ceasefire agreement’s commitments, while blaming Hamas for any failure, member of Palestinian group’s Political Bureau, Izzat Al-Rishq, said yesterday.

In a post on his Telegram channel, Al-Rishq said: “Hamas and Palestinian factions have responded to the proposal with responsibility, seriousness and positivity. Our response aligns with the demands of our people and resistance, paving the way for a comprehensive agreement.”

He stressed that the “Israeli media’s incitement against Hamas’s response is a clear sign of attempts to shirk the obligations of this agreement.”

The United States has said Israel accepted its proposal for a ceasefire, but Israel has not publicly said this. Israel, which has continued assaults in central and southern Gaza, among the bloodiest of the war, has repeatedly said it would not commit to an end of its campaign in Gaza before Hamas is eliminated.

An Israeli official said yesterday that Tel Aviv had received Hamas’s answer from the mediators and that Hamas “changed all of the main and most meaningful parameters.”

The Israeli official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said Hamas “has rejected the proposal for a hostage release that was presented by President Biden.”

On Monday, the UN Security Council backed a US resolution supporting the proposal outlined by President Joe Biden. Hamas official Sami Abu Zuhri told Reuters yesterday before mediators received the group’s response that Hamas accepted the Security Council resolution and was ready to negotiate over the details of a ceasefire.

Egyptian security sources said Hamas wants written guarantees from the United States for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the Gaza Strip in order to sign off on the US-backed truce proposal.

READ: Israel says Hamas rejects key elements of US ceasefire plan for Gaza