As an aspect of the United States attempts to broker a truce in Israel’s attack on the Gaza Strip, the US secretary of State is currently in Tel Aviv. Neither Israel and Hamas pronouncements have reinforced the likelihood of a compromise.
Yesterday, Antony Blinken touched down in Israel. The visit takes place a few days after the United States and its intermediaries, Qatar and Egypt, presented measures they believed would bridge the divide between the two sides of conflict in Gaza. Following two days of meetings this week in Qatar, ceasefire negotiations are anticipated to pick back up in Egypt in the next few days.
According to the intermediaries, they gave both parties an idea for a mediating truce. Although the talks were moving well, they emphasized that more work needed to be undertaken.
The American top diplomat is anticipated to have talks with senior authorities including Israeli Prime Minister in Tel Aviv. A day later, according to Blinken’s office, he will go to Cairo for the ceasefire talks.
In an announcement released yesterday, Hamas stated that it is still dedicated to the plan of action that US President unveiled two months earlier. The organization demanded that mediators force Israel to carry out the plan.
But Hamas clarified that it disagreed with the information it claims to have been given regarding the agreement being discussed at last week’s negotiations in Qatari capital. As stated by the Palestinian group leading Gaza, the new plan complies with and serves Israeli pm’s demands, particularly his denial of a long-term truce and a thorough evacuation of the Gaza Strip.
Referring to Netanyahu’s demands, Hamas said that “he also set new conditions in the prisoner exchange file, and backed down from other items, which prevents the completion of the exchange deal.”
Netanyahu was blamed by Hamas for completely undermining the work of the negotiators and preventing a solution. Furthermore, according to Hamas, he bears complete responsibility for the safety of his detainees, who face the same threat as the people in Gaza face under Israeli war campaign.
In the meantime, in an announcement released on Sunday, the Israeli pm Office emphasized that Tel Aviv will not budge from its demand. Despite persistent assurances from the Washington that the agreement would bring a stop to the fighting, Israel insists that any truce pact let Israel to carry on with its campaign against Gaza.
