'Israel' presented US with another ceasefire, captives deal: Axios
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The Israeli occupation has put forth a new deal regarding Gaza after rejecting one made by the United States, which Hamas viewed favorably.
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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is pictured before a meeting with Vice President Kamala Harris at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building on the White House complex in Washington, July 25, 2024 (AP)
The Israeli occupation presented Saturday an updated plan to the United States regarding the Gaza captives and ceasefire negotiations, as reported by Israeli journalist Barak Ravid for Axios, who cited a senior Israeli official and additional informed sources.
The negotiations surrounding the ceasefire agreement are at a pivotal stage, he underlined as he cited US President Joe Biden stressing the importance of retaking the captives and reaching a ceasefire agreement on Thursday.
The revised proposal was submitted in advance of a pivotal meeting set for Sunday in Rome, wherein Mossad Director David Barnea will meet with CIA Director Bill Burns, Qatari Prime Minister Mohammed Bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani, and Egyptian Intelligence Chief Abbas Kamel, who will be thoroughly discussing a deal on the release of the captives.
Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has been in pursuit of an agreement, too, though a different kind of agreement; one that would allow the Israeli occupation to carry on with its onslaught on Gaza while further stifling the Palestinians in Gaza by allowing "Israel to control the Gaza-Egypt border.
The proposal also outlines changes in the redeployment locations for Israeli occupation forces in Gaza during the initial phase of the deal, with IOF soldiers remaining in the Philadelphi corridor along the Gaza-Egypt border during this phase.
Israeli negotiators cast doubt on Friday that the meeting between the chiefs of intelligence services in the Italian capital of Rome would bear any fruit.
This also comes amid hopes that Netanyahu's demands will become less stringent amid pressure and persuasion from Biden.
"Netanyahu's demands make an agreement unattainable at this moment. His unwillingness to compromise may lead to a negotiation crisis rather than a resolution," one Israeli official said.
'Israel' rejects US proposal
Biden put forward a ceasefire proposal in May that included a three-phase execution plan. The US National Security Advisor stated then that Biden's proposal was in fact an Israeli one.
However, after Hamas said it "views positively" the terms of the agreement, Netanyahu announced opposition to "Israel's" own deal, saying that the war on Gaza would not end until "all objectives are achieved" and rejecting to make any kind of commitment that the aggression would stop, neither orally nor written.
"[Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu wants a deal that is impossible to get. At the moment, he isn't willing to move and therefore we might be headed for a crisis in the negotiations rather than a deal," an Israeli official pointed out.
According to Axios, Israeli negotiators were pessimistic about the outcome of the Rome conference and did not believe that pressure from US President Joe Biden on Netanyahu had persuaded him to back down from some of his new, strong demands in the revised Israeli proposal.
Hamas refuses any new deal
A senior Palestinian source told Al Mayadeen on Saturday that Hamas refuses to accept any new proposals amid Netanyahu's statements about his intention to present a new one regarding a prisoner exchange deal.
According to the source, Hamas insists on the latest proposal it submitted to the mediators regarding a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal with the Israeli occupation.
The source indicated that the Palestinian Resistance group remains firm in its stance demanding a complete Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, including the Netzarim and the Philadelphi axes.
Hamas has also informed the mediators that it will not accept any new proposal that does not include a clear provision for a ceasefire, the Palestinian source added.
Moreover, the group does not oppose a temporary government administration for Gaza with national consensus in the event of a failure to agree on a national unity government, the source mentioned.
This comes after Reuters cited sources as saying that "Israel" seeks to introduce amendments that would complicate reaching a ceasefire in Gaza and a prisoner exchange deal.
These amendments relate to inspecting displaced Palestinian citizens as they return to northern areas in the Gaza Strip and controlling the borders with Egypt, among other issues.
