Qatar has discussed the response it received from Hamas and other Palestinian factions regarding the US proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, Doha's Foreign Minister, Mohammad bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said on Wednesday.

A joint delegation from Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), led by Hamas Political Bureau chief Ismail Haniyeh and PIJ Secretary-General Ziad al-Nakhalah, announced on Tuesday that it delivered the Palestinian Resistance factions' response regarding the ceasefire proposal to the Qatari and Egyptian mediators.

In a joint press conference with his American counterpart, Antony Blinken, in Doha, al-Thani indicated that the war on Gaza is witnessing a shift in the recent period, adding that "there is a clear and firm call to end this war."

He affirmed that Qatar is committed to "bridging the gap" and bringing "Israel" and the Palestinian Resistance closer to reaching a ceasefire.

The top Qatari diplomat emphasized that "every day we lose is a loss of lives and innocents," affirming Doha's support of the UN Security Council resolution calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Hamas and the PIJ indicated that the response to the ceasefire proposal prioritizes the interests of the Palestinian people and the necessity of completely halting the ongoing aggression on Gaza, adding they were ready "to engage positively to reach an agreement that ends this war."

Senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen on Tuesday that the proposal discusses a ceasefire in Gaza but does not specify that it is permanent, whereas the US President had spoken about a permanent ceasefire. "We have amended this," he said.

"Our response is our commitment to what we previously committed to, a ceasefire and [complete] withdrawal from Gaza," Hamdan affirmed.

Related News

Trump rolls back tariffs on beef, coffee, other foods

Trump holds high-level meetings on Venezuela, decision imminent

Some requested changes workable, some are not: Blinken

On his part, Blinken said that "instead of responding positively to the [ceasefire] proposal, they [Hamas] are demanding far-reaching changes to the agreement." 

"Some of Hamas' changes go beyond what was previously agreed upon, but we will continue to push for the implementation of the deal. I believe that these gaps can be bridged," he indicated.

"We believe that some of the requested changes are workable and some are not," the US Secretary of State told reporters but pointed out "that doesn't mean they will be bridged because, ultimately, Hamas has to decide."

Blinken claimed that "Israel" and the international community accepted the recent ceasefire proposal deal almost identical to Hamas' May 6 proposal, adding that, instead of agreeing to the deal, the Palestinian group "waited nearly two weeks and then proposed more changes."

But Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has not formally endorsed the ceasefire proposal and has ministers who have vowed to stop the deal.

Blinken warned that "the longer this goes on, the more people will suffer, and it's time for the haggling to stop."

Elsewhere, the top US diplomat revealed that Washington will present plans for post-war Gaza in the coming weeks, stressing that "Hamas must not be allowed to decide the future of the region."

Parroting Blinken's remarks, White House National Security Advisor, Jake Sullivan, claimed that many of Hamas’ proposed changes "are minor and not unanticipated," while "others differ more substantially from what was outlined in the UN Security Council resolution," adding that the US will work with mediators Egypt and Qatar to bridge differences regarding the proposal.

Responding to Blinken, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan denied to Al-Araby TV that the movement had introduced new ideas for the ceasefire proposal in the Gaza Strip, adding that the US Secretary of State was "part of the problem, not the solution."

Read more: G7 leaders to urge all sides to accept Biden’s ceasefire deal