'Israel' not giving clear answers regarding Hamas demands: Exclusive
4 Min Read
A source in the Palestinian Resistance tells Al Mayadeen that Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to prolong the negotiations and avoid giving clear answers.
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Israeli settlers protest against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government and call for the release of captives held in the Gaza Strip, in occupied al-Quds, Thursday, June 27, 2024. (AP)
"Israel" is stalling in providing clear answers to Hamas' demands to complete a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal, a source in the Palestinian Resistance told Al Mayadeen on Thursday.
The source said that "Israel" is stalling in providing answers regarding the issue of detainees or the withdrawal from the Philadelphia Corridor and the Rafah Crossing.
According to the source, it does not seem that there is any real progress in the negotiations taking place in Doha, and "Israel" is trying to win more time in the process.
The source told Al Mayadeen that Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is trying to prolong the negotiations and avoid giving clear answers until his return from Washington, where he is set to give a speech before the US Congress.
On its part, Hamas announced Thursday that it has not yet received any new information from the mediators regarding negotiations for a ceasefire and prisoner exchange.
The Palestinian movement said the Israeli occupation continues its policy of stalling to gain time and jeopardize this round of negotiations, as it has done before, underlining that this tactic will not deceive the Palestinian people and their Resistance.
This comes as CIA Director Bill Burns met with senior officials from Qatar, Egypt, and the Israeli occupation in Doha on Wednesday to address and finalize the remaining issues in the Gaza captive release and ceasefire deal.
Israeli intransigence
Burns arrived in Doha on Tuesday after discussions in Cairo with Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi and a trilateral meeting with senior Egyptian and Israeli security officials.
He later met with Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, a key mediator between Hamas and the Israeli occupation.
On Wednesday, Burns held a joint meeting with the Qatari Prime Minister, the Israeli Mossad director, and the Egyptian intelligence director.
Simultaneously, Biden's top Middle East advisor, Brett McGurk, met with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Security Minister Yoav Gallant in occupied Palestine.
Netanyahu claimed his commitment to a captive and ceasefire deal, provided that the Israeli occupation's key conditions are met. Gallant emphasized the importance of seizing this opportunity to secure the return of captives held by Hamas and stressed the need to establish mechanisms to prevent arms smuggling into Gaza.
He also indicated the Israeli occupation's support for reopening the Rafah crossing, provided that Hamas is not involved in its governance.
The new conditions laid out by Netanyahu are expected to potentially hamper the talks and any progress within them.
The Washington Post published an op-ed on Monday suggesting that the latest conditions laid out by Netanyahu's office for a potential ceasefire in Gaza could stall negotiations and prevent any deal from occurring altogether.
According to the report, "Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu injected new uncertainty into the negotiations," by insisting that "Israel" must retain the option to resume its aggression on Gaza as part of any agreement accepted by negotiators.
The report highlighted that his statement "appeared to raise the bar" for what "Israel" would agree to in a deal and further dampened hopes for an imminent peace.
On Sunday, Netanyahu stipulated that "any deal will allow Israel to resume fighting until all of the objectives of the war have been achieved."
A statement released from his office indicated that the Prime Minister would not be ready to fully endorse a permanent ceasefire until the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza is completely eliminated.
The Washington Post report mentioned criticism on the part of the Israeli opposition as well as from captives' families who argue that Netanyahu's conditions are posing a serious hurdle to peace talks, while opposition leader Yair Lapid labeled the Prime Minister's statement as "provocative messages".
On July 6, Reuters reported, citing a senior Hamas source, that the movement accepted a US proposal to begin talks on releasing Israeli captives, including soldiers and men, 16 days after the first phase of an agreement aimed at ending the Gaza war.
The Palestinian Resistance group withdrew its demand for "Israel" to commit to a permanent ceasefire before signing the agreement. Instead, it will allow negotiations to work toward this goal during an initial six-week phase, as reported to Reuters by an anonymous source due to the private nature of the talks.
