US 'evaluating' Hamas response to Gaza ceasefire proposal: White House

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
12 Jun 2024 00:13
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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby declines to provide details on the content of the response.

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National Security Council spokesman John Kirby speaks during the daily briefing at the White House in Washington, May 28, 2024. (AP)

The United States is "evaluating" Hamas' formal answer to the most recent ceasefire proposal, the White House confirmed.

National Security Council spokesman John Kirby told reporters that Washington received the "reply that Hamas delivered to Qatar and Egypt, and we are evaluating it right now," while declining to provide details on its content.

Earlier, senior Hamas official Osama Hamdan told Al Mayadeen that the movement has presented a few remarks to the mediators regarding the proposal laid out by the United States for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip.

Hamdan clarified 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.

He pointed out that the amendments were made based on inter-Palestinian dialogue, involving both the leadership of the Resistance inside and outside of Gaza.

Based on this dialogue, Hamdan revealed that three key points were agreed upon. First, the Resistance is capable of continuing [its operations], and the achievements of Operation Al-Aqsa Flood confirm that resistance is the only legitimate option for the Palestinian people.

Second, Hamdan emphasized the need to achieve a ceasefire and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people, stressing that "the Resistance cannot compromise on the rights of its people under any circumstances."

Third, he pointed out that the Resistance's positivity should not be misinterpreted as a sign of weakness or a willingness to make further concessions.

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

He made it clear that the Hamas leadership does not succumb to pressure but maintains positivity.

Regarding the US stance on the war on Gaza, the Palestinian official considered that the American-Israeli position is aligned, noting that the disagreement between the two sides "is only tactical."

Touching on the US-drafted UN Security Council ceasefire resolution passed on Tuesday, Hamdan indicated that the text includes loopholes, stressing that the main thing is to set a zero hour for a ceasefire.

He added that the Hamas movement welcomes the resolution because it includes a ceasefire, relief for Palestinians, and prisoner exchange negotiations.

Talking about the Israeli operation in Nuseirat, in central Gaza, in which 274 Palestinians were killed and hundreds of others were injured, the Hamas official pointed out that the occupation which tried to fabricate an image of victory in Nuseirat was exposed and had three of its captives killed.

Hamdan revealed that Hamas' information confirms the participation of members from the US Delta Force in the Nuseirat operation.

He added that the true colors of Israeli racism were exposed when the occupation forces killed and injured a thousand Palestinians in Nuseirat.

Hamdan affirmed that the Israeli failure in the war is evident, describing the talk about "the day after" as a "delusion" created by the Israeli occupation. For the Resistance, "the day after" in Gaza is distinctly limited to the Palestinians, he underlined.

He recalled that the estimates given to the United States indicated that the war would last six weeks, but it has been ongoing for eight months. The Palestinian official stressed that the Israeli occupation cannot be trusted, explaining that it only yields when it feels incapable of "achieving victory".

Regarding the situation in the occupied West Bank, which witnesses daily Israeli raids and arrests in parallel with the aggression on Gaza, Hamdan considered that the ongoing Israeli assassinations there confirm one truth: what frightens the occupation is the Resistance.