Hamas criticizes Blinken's remarks, Cairo meeting on deal imminent | News

The leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement criticized (agitationOsama Hamdan, US Secretary of State's statement Anthony Blinken That the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu He accepted an updated proposal for a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, while the White House said mediators would hold a meeting in Cairo this week.

Hamdan said in an interview with Reuters published early Monday that this proposal raises many ambiguities because “it is not the paper that was presented to us and it is not the one that Hamas agreed to,” stressing that “Hamas has already confirmed to the mediators that it does not need “new negotiations or new ideas, and there is a proposal that we agreed to and we need to implement it and it is based on the proposal of US President Joe Biden as well.”

Hamdan pointed out that the new Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar “He was following the negotiation process for the ceasefire agreement in Gaza and blessed it and was a partner in making decisions related to it,” noting that “communication with Sinwar has its tools and mechanisms and certainly the security conditions have an impact on our keenness not to be reached by the enemy, but these communications are taking place in a smooth and satisfactory manner and achieve the goal.”

Hamdan told Al Jazeera on Monday evening that talk of an updated proposal to reach an agreement means Washington's failure to oblige Netanyahu to Biden's proposal, which Hamas agreed to, and he renewed the movement's adherence to its five demands stipulated in Biden's initiative regarding a ceasefire.

Hamdan wondered about the benefit of asking Hamas to present new approaches at a time when the Israeli side refuses to commit to the American initiative.

Blinken's statements

Blinken said on Monday evening that Netanyahu had agreed to the proposal presented by Washington during the last round of negotiations in Doha regarding a possible prisoner exchange deal with the resistance, which Hamas had criticized.

Blinken added, in a press conference in Tel Aviv, after three hours of talks with Netanyahu and then with the Minister of Defense, Yoav Galant Netanyahu informed him of Israel's approval of the proposal presented by the United States in the round of negotiations held last Thursday and Friday in Doha to bring the positions of the parties closer together.

He added that Hamas must now accept the proposal regarding a possible ceasefire agreement in Gaza and a prisoner exchange, noting that he will head to Egypt and Qatar to continue efforts to reach an agreement.

For his part, Netanyahu said that he held a meeting that he described as good and important with the US Secretary of State.

Netanyahu added, in a statement issued by his office following the talks, that Israel seeks to release as many prisoners as possible in the first stage of the deal, adding that Israel appreciates the efforts of the United States in what he described as “regional defense against the Iranian axis.”

Netanyahu's toughness

In a related context, Axios quoted Israeli officials as saying that Netanyahu accepted the latest American proposal, which includes some of his new demands, knowing that Hamas would reject it.

Israeli officials said Netanyahu's hardline positions were making it more difficult to reach an agreement with Hamas. The officials added that their negotiating team had told Netanyahu that reaching an agreement based on his current positions was not possible.

They also reported that members of the negotiating team asked Netanyahu for enough space to reach an agreement, but he refused and rebuked them. The Israeli officials indicated that Galant and the negotiators told Netanyahu that delaying the agreement would endanger the lives of the hostages and increase the possibility of a regional war.

The Israeli Prime Minister has faced accusations at home and abroad of thwarting efforts made over the past months to conclude a deal, either through military escalation or through assassinations.

Channel 13 reported that Blinken understands Israel's request not to completely withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor, but he is urging Netanyahu and his defense minister to make concessions in order to conclude the deal.

The channel quoted an Israeli political source as saying that Israel could withdraw from the Philadelphi corridor and manage its affairs, but Netanyahu's position insists that if it withdraws, it will not be able to return.

Israeli Channel 12 reported that Blinken held a meeting with the families of American prisoners. Israelis demonstrated in front of the US Secretary of State's residence in Tel Aviv, demanding that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza be quickly concluded. The demonstrators raised pictures of a number of prisoners held by the resistance in Gaza, chanted slogans rejecting the continuation of the war at the expense of the Israeli detainees, and demanded that Blinken push for a prisoner exchange deal.

Meeting in Cairo

On board Air Force One, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that senior officials would meet in Cairo before the end of the week to negotiate a ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, adding that Biden was talking to regional leaders to finalize the agreement.

For its part, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said that the political system in Israel is experiencing a state of tension, against the backdrop of the ongoing negotiations regarding the kidnapped prisoners deal and ending the war.

The newspaper added that estimates in the coalition and the opposition believe that the success or failure of the negotiations will lead to major changes in the political system.

The newspaper revealed that these changes include the issue of dissolving the Knesset and bringing forward the date of the elections. The newspaper quoted Likud officials as saying that Netanyahu is convinced that he is able to reach a deal, despite the opposition of the Israeli Minister of National Security. Itamar Ben Gvir And the Minister of Finance Bezalel Smotrich.