The last | US national security adviser says Israel supports ceasefire proposal

Lina Portman3 weeks ago

0 5 minutes read

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday rejected claims that Israel is not fully committed to the ceasefire…

US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday rejected claims that Israel is not fully committed to the proposed ceasefire with Hamas presented in late May by President Joe Biden at the White House.

“Israel provided this proposal. It has been on the table for some time. Israel has not contradicted or backed down from that,” Sullivan said Thursday in Italy, where Biden was scheduled to attend the annual summit of Group of Seven leaders. “To date, they support the proposal.”

“I don't think there is a contradiction in the Israeli position,” Sullivan added.

Sullivan reiterated that Hamas had responded with a modified proposal and said the goal was to “determine how we will work to close the remaining gaps and reach an agreement.”

“The goal is to try to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.

On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said mediators were trying to reach an agreement on an elusive ceasefire and the release of hostages in Gaza. Hamas requested numerous changes to a U.S.-backed proposal — some of which Blinken said were “workable” and others not.

Hamas says its “amendments” aim to guarantee a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. The ceasefire proposal announced by Biden includes these provisions, but Hamas has expressed distrust in Israel's implementation of these conditions.

Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza has killed more than 37,100 people, according to Gaza's health ministry, which does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its tally. Palestinians face widespread hunger because the war has largely interrupted the supply of food, medicine and other supplies. UN agencies say more than a million people in Gaza could experience the highest level of famine by mid-July.

Israel launched the war after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, in which militants swept into southern Israel, killing some 1,200 people — mostly civilians — and kidnapping about 250.

Currently:

— What are the main sticking points in the ceasefire negotiations between Israel and Hamas?

— A report by UN-backed experts cites crimes committed by Israeli forces and Palestinian militants starting in 0ct. 7.

— Hezbollah vows to step up attacks on Israel after airstrike kills top commander.

— Blinken says some of Hamas's proposed changes to the Gaza ceasefire plan are feasible and others are not.

— Yemen's Houthi rebels launch a ship-borne bomb attack on a Greek ship in the Red Sea.

Follow AP's coverage of the Gaza war at

Here is the last one:

US national security adviser says Israel supports ceasefire proposal

FASANO, Italy — U.S. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan on Thursday pushed back against claims that Israel is not fully committed to the proposed ceasefire with Hamas presented in late May by President Joe Biden to the White House.

“I don't think there is a contradiction in the Israeli position,” Sullivan added.

Sullivan reiterated that Hamas had responded with a modified proposal and said the goal was to “determine how we will work to close the remaining gaps and reach an agreement.”

“The goal is to try to reach a conclusion as quickly as possible,” he told reporters.

Voices of Palestinians displaced in Gaza: jaded hopes for a ceasefire despite the bloody toll of the war

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip — Weary after eight months of war, frustrated Palestinians displaced from their homes in Gaza said Wednesday they were cautiously hopeful for a ceasefire.

Some are more skeptical than others, as previous moments of optimism have been dashed by differences between Israel and Hamas.

“We are psychologically tired,” said Etaf Abdel Bari, a displaced woman living in Deir al-Balah, central Gaza. “They negotiated a lot, in vain? We are not a toy in their hands. Our sons, daughters and families were killed for no reason. For what?”

More than a million people have fled the Israeli invasion of the southern Gaza town of Rafah, scattering across southern and central Gaza into new tent camps or crowding into schools and houses.

“Every day there is a truce, there is no truce. We want a solution. We want to return home,” said displaced person Salama Abu al-Qumbuz. “We are tired of this life, sleeping in the street, carrying water. Our lives have become very boring.

The United Nations says more than a million people in Gaza face desperate hunger and do not have enough clean water.

Other residents of Deir al-Balah took a more cynical view of the truce talks.

“I expect the war to continue. There are no negotiations,” said Abu Jamil al-Maqadma. “The negotiations are wrong.”

Blinken says some of Hamas's proposed changes to Gaza ceasefire plan are feasible and others are not

DOHA, Qatar — U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that mediators will continue trying to reach an elusive ceasefire deal after Hamas proposed numerous changes to a U.S.-backed plan. United States, some of which he said were “feasible” and others not.

The back-and-forth has laid bare frustration over the difficulty of reaching a deal that could end eight months of war that has decimated Gaza, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians and left many Israeli hostages languishing in militant captivity. . Previous moments of optimism have been repeatedly dashed by differences between the two sides.

The ceasefire proposal has global support but has not been fully adopted by Israel or Hamas. Blinken did not specify what changes Hamas was seeking, but he said the mediators — Qatar, Egypt and the United States — would continue to try to “make this deal.” He placed the blame on Hamas, accusing it of changing its demands.

“Hamas proposed many changes to the proposal that was on the table. …Some changes are achievable. Some are not,” Blinken told reporters in Qatar. “I believe that they (the differences) can be overcome, but that does not mean that they will be, because in the end it is Hamas that must decide.”

The Palestinian activist group says the “amendments” aim to secure a permanent ceasefire and a complete withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza.

These provisions are included in the proposal announced by US President Joe Biden, but Hamas has expressed distrust in Israel's implementation of these conditions. And although the United States says Israel accepted the proposal, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made contradictory statements, saying Israel is still committed to its goal of destroying Hamas.

The proposal's three-phase plan would begin with a six-week ceasefire and the release of some hostages in exchange for Palestinian prisoners. Israeli forces would withdraw from populated areas and Palestinian civilians would be allowed to return home. Aid distribution would also increase.

At the same time, negotiations would resume on the second phase, which should bring “a definitive end to hostilities” and a “complete withdrawal” of Israeli troops from Gaza in exchange for the release of all remaining hostages.

Negotiations for the second phase appear to be a major problem for both sides. The third phase would see the launch of a plan to rebuild Gaza and the return of the remains of the deceased hostages.