The White House said Sunday that the president of the United States, Joe Bidenhad spoken again with the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahuas pressure increases on Israel and Hamas to arrive at a deal that would free some Israeli hostages and would achieve a ceasefire in the nearly seven-month war in Gaza.
The White House said Biden reiterated his “clear position” as Israel plans to invade the city of Rafah, further south of Gaza. The United States opposes the invasion on humanitarian grounds, straining relations between the allies. The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, He will return to the Middle East on Monday.
Biden also emphasized that progress in delivering humanitarian aid to Gaza must be “sustained and improved”, according to the statement. It was less clear than his earlier call this month in which Biden warned that future U.S. support for Israel in the war depends on quickly implementing new measures to protect civilians and aid workers. There was no comment from Netanyahu’s office on the latest call.
A senior official at key intermediary Qatar, meanwhile, urged Israel and Hamas to show “more commitment and more seriousness” in the negotiations. Qatar, which hosts Hamas headquarters in Doha, was instrumental alongside the United States and Egypt in helping negotiate a brief cessation to the November fighting that led to the release of dozens of hostages. But in a sign of frustration, Qatar said this month it was reassessing its role.
An Israeli delegation is expected to visit Egypt in the coming days to discuss the latest proposals in the negotiations, and a senior Hamas official, Basem Naimhe said in a message to The Associated Press that a delegation from the militant group will also head to Cairo. The Egyptian state satellite television channel Al Qahera News He said the delegation would arrive on Monday.
The comments of the spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Qatar, Majed al-Ansari, in interviews with the liberal newspaper Haaretz and the Israeli public broadcaster Kan were published and broadcast on Saturday night.
Al-Ansari expressed his disappointment with Hamas and Israel, saying that each side has made decisions based on political interests and not with the well-being of civilians in mind. He did not reveal details about the talks, other than to say that they have “effectively stopped,” with “both sides entrenched in their positions.”
Al-Ansari’s comments came after an Egyptian delegation discussed with Israeli officials a “new vision” for a prolonged ceasefire in Gaza, according to an Egyptian official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to freely discuss the developments.
The Egyptian official said Israeli officials are open to discussing establishing a permanent ceasefire in Gaza as part of the second phase of an agreement. Israel has refused to end the war until it defeats Hamas.
The second phase would begin after the release of the civilian and sick hostages and would include negotiating the release of the soldiers, the official added. High-ranking Palestinian prisoners would be released and a reconstruction process would begin.
Negotiations earlier this month centered on a proposed six-week ceasefire and the release of 40 civilian and sick hostages held by Hamas in exchange for the release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
A letter written by Biden and 17 other world leaders urged Hamas to release its citizens immediately. In recent days, Hamas has released new videos of three hostages, an apparent push for Israel to make concessions.
The growing pressure on Hamas and Israel to reach a ceasefire agreement is also aimed at preventing an Israeli attack on Rafah, the city on the border with Egypt where more than half of Gaza’s 2.3 million residents seek refuge. . Israel has concentrated dozens of tanks and armored vehicles. The planned raid has sparked global alarm.
(With information from AP)
