US and Qatar are trying to convince Hamas to accept the ceasefire proposal negotiated last week
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken held a call early this morning with his Qatari counterpart, Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, in which they stressed that the proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza presented last Friday already “addresses the outstanding gaps” so that “an agreement can be implemented quickly,” official sources reported on Wednesday. They are thus trying to convince Hamas to accept the proposal that, according to Blinken, Israel has already accepted. The talks are scheduled to resume on Wednesday in Cairo.
The two foreign ministers “discussed ongoing efforts to negotiate a ceasefire agreement that would alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people and secure the release of the hostages,” said U.S. State Department deputy spokesman Vedant Patel in a statement released on Thursday evening.
The brief note highlights that both parties “stressed that the bridging proposal put forward by the negotiators addresses the outstanding gaps in a way that allows for a rapid implementation of the agreement.” According to Blinken last night, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has already accepted this proposal, but the Palestinian movement rejects it, pointing out that it only reflects Israeli demands. For this reason, he stressed that Egypt and Qatar, which are part of the team mediating between Israel and Hamas along with the US, are striving to explain to Hamas everything necessary for it to understand the text and accept it. He assured that he will do “everything possible” to get the Palestinian movement to say yes to this proposal. One of the critical points is the future Israeli military presence in the Strip. In an attempt to persuade Hamas, Blinken assured that the US “does not accept any long-term occupation of Gaza by Israel,” stressing that the agreement clearly sets the timetable for the withdrawal of the Israeli army.
The answer could come in the new round of talks scheduled to begin on Wednesday in Cairo, with the aim of closing all the gaps until reaching a final version that would become the truce agreement.
Both leaders also said they would continue working together to “convey that neither side should take measures that undermine efforts to reach an agreement,” without making any direct reference to either of the two contenders. (EFE)
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