Hamas responds to Israel's proposed ceasefire deal, seeks amendments

Lina Portman4 weeks ago

1 2 minutes read

Top line

Hamas officials responded Tuesday to Israel's previously presented three-phase ceasefire proposal, apparently asking for some “amendments” to the agreement while keeping the possibility of a deal on the table, several reports said. media.

Soldiers march past Israeli police station damaged in fighting to dislodge it … [+] Hamas militants stationed inside, October 8, 2023.

AFP via Getty Images

Highlights

Hamas said its response “prioritizes the interest of our Palestinian people (and) the need to completely stop the ongoing aggression against Gaza,” according to ABC News.

Hamas spokesman Jihad Taha said the amendments would “confirm the ceasefire, withdrawal, reconstruction and (prisoner) exchange,” the Associated Press reported.

Hamas faced increased international pressure to accept the proposal – which President Joe Biden previously called a “road map to a lasting ceasefire and the release of all hostages” – after the Security Council of the United Nations voted in favor of adopting the ceasefire plan.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken said earlier Tuesday that Hamas should accept the proposal, saying the vote had shown “as clearly as possible” that the world wanted to see the proposal approved, the Associated Press reported.

To monitor

The American response to Hamas' request. White House national security spokesman John Kirby said the United States “has received the response that Hamas provided to Qatar and Egypt, and we are currently evaluating it.”

Key context

Biden announced the three-phase plan on May 31, urging Hamas and Israel to accept it and saying “it is time for this war to end, for the next day to begin.” The first phase of the proposal would be a six-week period during which Israeli forces would leave Gaza while “Israel and Hamas negotiate the necessary arrangements to move to phase two,” according to Biden. Some hostages would also be returned to Israel and Palestinian prisoners returned to Gaza initially, and aid to Gaza would increase significantly. The second phase would be a permanent ceasefire and the third phase would involve a “major reconstruction plan for Gaza,” Biden said. Hamas and Israel have been unable to agree on the terms of a ceasefire for months, with Hamas demanding a complete end to fighting and Israel insisting on the total destruction of Hamas. They have been fighting almost constantly since October 7, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing about 1,200 people and taking about 250 hostages, including Americans. Since then, more than 37,100 people are estimated to have died in Gaza because of the war, the AP reported, citing the Hamas-controlled Health Ministry, which has led to increased calls for a ceasefire.