Qatar’s Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani affirmed to his American counterpart Antony Blinken Qatar’s commitment to its role as a mediator in the Gaza ceasefire talks, alongside Egypt and the United States, and that it will continue efforts and communications to end the war. The Ministry added in a statement that the minister also emphasized during a phone call with Blinken “the importance of unifying regional and international efforts to reach an agreement that leads to a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the release of prisoners and detainees, and to avoid the consequences of regional escalation,” according to Reuters.
In the coming days, Blinken, who had arrived in Doha earlier on Tuesday after visiting Cairo, continues his diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving a ceasefire in Gaza and the release of detainees amid ongoing main issues of contention between Israel and Hamas. The American Foreign Minister confirmed that a ceasefire agreement in the sector must be concluded in the coming days. He also told reporters in Doha that the United States, Egypt, and Qatar will do everything possible to persuade Hamas to agree to “a proposal to bridge the gaps.” He added that once Hamas agrees to the proposal presented by Washington to address the differences that hinder reaching a ceasefire agreement, it will also be necessary to reach an agreement on the details of the implementation. Meanwhile, he pointed out that the United States has long said it does not accept any prolonged Israeli occupation of Gaza.
Hamas “Backtracks”
This comes as President Joe Biden announced on Tuesday that Hamas is “backtracking” on the proposed agreement with Israel to bring about a truce in Gaza.
Responding to journalists’ questions at Chicago airport after delivering a speech at the National Democratic Conference, he said that the proposed settlement “is still on the table, but nothing can be predicted,” adding that “Israel says it can reach an outcome while Hamas is now backtracking.”
The American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, on Monday evening, confirmed that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had agreed to the American plan.
The Movement Responds
After Biden accused Hamas of backtracking on its agreement to the American proposal for a ceasefire in Gaza, the movement responded. It denied in a statement on Tuesday the validity of those accusations, asserting that Biden and Blinken’s statements do not reflect its true position. It also confirmed its commitment to what was agreed upon with the mediators last month.
Additionally, it considered that what was recently presented to it was entirely different from what had been agreed upon, emphasizing that the new proposal was a retreat from what the parties had reached on July 2nd. It also pointed out that the latest American offer “constitutes a coup on what the parties had reached on the second of July last year, based on Biden’s declaration on May 31st, and Security Council Resolution 2735 (June 11th).” It saw this as “succumbing” to the new terms of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s extremist, and his criminal plans towards Gaza.
