The White House announced on Thursday that Israel supports a ceasefire proposal to bridge the gap with Hamas and reach an agreement soon in the ongoing eight-month war in Gaza. National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the G7 leaders’ meeting in southern Italy, stated that the world should encourage Hamas to accept the proposal to avoid deadlock.
Sullivan mentioned that the changes proposed by Hamas to the ceasefire were actually minor, adding that the United States would work with Egypt and Qatar to bridge the gaps in the proposal. He described some of Hamas’ comments as expected. Earlier, a senior Hamas official told Reuters on Thursday that the modifications requested by the movement on the U.S.-proposed ceasefire were “not significant” and included the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza. He stated that the movement’s demands included three connected and interrelated phases of the ceasefire and reiterated the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
The Hamas leader also expressed reservations about excluding the Israeli paper that would identify 100 Palestinian detainees with high sentences, as determined by Hamas itself. The Hamas official mentioned that the modifications included demands for the reconstruction of Gaza, lifting the blockade, including opening border crossings, and allowing the movement of people and goods without restrictions. After the modifications requested by Hamas to the American proposal regarding stopping the Israeli war on Gaza, the movement commented on the matter.
Hamas considered the position of U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who blamed it for obstructing the agreement, as nothing but American collusion with Israel, referring to the top American diplomat’s statement that Hamas should have accepted the proposal as it was, confirming that if the movement insisted on rejection, it would clearly choose war. The movement added in a statement on Thursday that it dealt positively with the proposal to reach a comprehensive agreement. It continued that it handled the proposals to reach a ceasefire agreement responsibly.
The movement also called on the U.S. administration to press the Israeli government to accept an agreement that would lead to a permanent ceasefire in the sector. Hamas said that while U.S. officials say Israel accepts the proposal presented by President Joe Biden on May 31, “the world has not heard any welcome or approval from Netanyahu and his government.”
