The United States has proposed new language to fill gaps in discussions on a ceasefire and hostage deal between Israel and Hamas, a senior US administration official said on Friday (28).
The three-phase Israeli proposal, outlined by US President Joe Biden last month, sets out conditions aimed at leading to the eventual release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in exchange for a permanent ceasefire and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza.
But dashing hopes of a breakthrough, earlier this month Hamas responded to the proposal with new changes. Israel has also not publicly accepted the plan.
The collaborator of the CNN Barak Ravid, first reported the news on Axios, citing three unnamed sources with direct knowledge.
The US is pressuring Egypt and Qatar to pressure Hamas to accept the language change, Ravid said. A source cited by Ravid said that if Hamas accepts the new language, “it will allow us to close the deal.”
According to the sources cited by Ravid, the new language presented by the US focuses on the period of the first phase of the proposal in which Israel and Hamas are expected to begin further negotiations with the intention of activating a second phase, where a sustainable ceasefire in Gaza is implemented.
The US-proposed language aims to conclude a current disagreement triggered by Hamas’ demands that negotiations for the second phase focus only on the number and identity of Palestinian prisoners released from Israeli prisons as part of the deal, while Israel aims to have the ability to raise Gaza demilitarization and other issues, sources said, according to Ravid.
A CNN did not see the latest proposal and contacted authorities in Qatar and Egypt.
The second phase of the proposal has been a source of disagreement in months of negotiations between Israel and Hamas. Hamas has called for a permanent end to the war and a full military withdrawal from Israel, while Israeli politicians, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, have vowed to continue the war until Hamas is eliminated.
On Sunday, Netanyahu told Israel’s Channel 14 that he was ready to make “a partial agreement” with Hamas to return just some hostages from Gaza, in comments that contradict the proposal. Netanyahu added that Israel will continue to fight in the enclave after the ceasefire.
He backtracked on his comments a day later, following strong backlash from the hostages’ families and several Israeli politicians.
Meanwhile, fighting continued in a Gaza City neighborhood, according to the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and local officials, months after Israel said it had dismantled Hamas in the north.
“Troops continue operational activity against terrorist targets in the Shejaiya area, fighting simultaneously above and below ground,” the Israel Defense Forces said, adding that the Israeli Air Force “attacked terrorist targets and armed terrorist cells” as part of its operations in the neighborhood. which started on Thursday (27).
Gaza civil defense authorities said they had received numerous requests for help from injured people trapped in the fighting in Shujaiya.
“Several victims are still under the rubble and on the roads, and ambulance and civil defense teams are unable to reach them,” the Palestinian Health Ministry in Gaza said.
The total number of Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 7 now stands at 37,834, while the number of injured has risen to 86,858.
Source: CNN Brasil
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