'Israel' not making as much headway in Gaza as hoped: US official

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
1 Feb 2024 23:59
1 Shares

A US official says Netanyahu is facing increasing public pressure to secure the release of the hostages.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attends a press conference in "Tel Aviv", occupied Palestine, Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023. (AP)

The Biden administration does not interpret Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's public comments on a ceasefire deal as a rejection of any potential ceasefire, a senior US official revealed.

While Netanyahu confirmed his rejection of any ceasefire that involves the withdrawal of Israeli occupation forces from Gaza or the release of numerous Palestinian prisoners, the Biden administration views the situation as developing.

This US perception is grounded in "Israel's" limited progress against the Palestinian Resistance in Gaza and the growing public pressure on Netanyahu to secure the release of Israeli captives.

Nevertheless, his public statements, according to the US official cited by NBC News, still reflect the position of his coalition members who have threatened to quit and bring the government down if he softens his stance.

No agreement has been reached yet: Top Palestinian Resistance official

A leading figure from the Palestinian Resistance factions said that no agreement around a ceasefire deal has been reached yet.

The remarks come after news outlets reported that Hamas had approved in principle the most recent ceasefire proposal made by Qatari officials. The official described the statement made by the Qatari Foreign Ministry as rushed and inaccurate.

The official explained that the party he represents had "received a message from the Hamas leadership regarding the framework paper that was presented based on the Paris meeting."

It is worth noting that the meeting came up with a momentary ceasefire proposal, which included a three-stage prisoner exchange deal. The meeting was attended by William Burns, the Central Intelligence Agency director, and top Egyptian, Israeli, and Qatari officials.

The leading figure said, "There is no agreement on the framework yet, and Hamas has important remarks (regarding the proposal)."

Hamas officials had announced earlier that its representatives would submit a unified response in Cario, Egypt, that represents all Palestinian Resistance factions.

"To date, no delegation from the Hamas leadership has traveled to Cairo, and no date has been set for meetings yet," the top official noted.

As reiterated on previous occasions, the official said the Paris Document is currently being studied "based on the agreed-upon national constants."

"The priority will be for a comprehensive cessation of aggression, a complete withdrawal of occupation forces from Gaza, securing shelters for the displaced, and completing a serious exchange process," the official explained.

He further stressed that "Zionist media outlets are dissipating fabricated and false news to stir up public opinion about the negotiations."

Finally, the official said Egypt and Qatar have unified mediation efforts.

A Qatari official had also told Reuters, "There is no deal yet. Hamas has received the proposal positively but we are waiting for their response."

Meanwhile, the media advisor to the head of the Hamas political bureau told Reuters that the group received the Paris truce proposal for a ceasefire and release of hostages in Gaza, but "we haven't given a response to the Gaza truce proposal," adding, "It is still being studied."

"We can't say that the current stage of negotiation is zero and at the same time we cannot say that we have reached an agreement," Taher al-Nono said.